Engagement is the magic ingredient in any successful Change

What makes the difference between a successful and unsuccessful change approach? Engagement.

Just like in relationships - you learn there is a big difference between dating someone and being engaged. Engagement has commitment and a clear intent.

An ineffective change manager or leader will approach change like dating. Spend a little time with their stakeholders, and even if it was a memorable moment, don't follow through or create that genuine relationship. It's superficial with some brief communication before and after. There might be questions asked but it's patchy as to whether there are answers provided. A successful change strategy contains more than that. It enrols leaders, stakeholders and impacted audiences through impactful interventions.

So how do you create powerful engaging dialogue with those who are affected by the Change?

• Involve the customer of the change in the design of the solution. Such an easy concept and yet it still isn't followed. With many technical specialists involved in the design, there still may not be enough opportunities being created for the customers to test and provide real feedback. Even worse that customer testing takes place and feedback is ignored.

• Hold a workshop and create the change strategy with the impacted audience. That way they 'own' the change. You might find this challenging if you are a change manager as you will want to put the plan together and then have everyone follow it to a tee. A good change manager though will put together a straw person - a rough plan and then discuss the best approach for maximum impact. The outcome of a collaboration will always be more powerful than an individually designed plan.

• Have a 'test' or 'pilot' phase, so you can eventually launch a product with the right support tools that work before going large scale up front. This is becoming more popular for a number of reasons. It can mean a faster 'to market' deliverable in some instances. If you are in an industry where there won't be criticism for non- perfect solutions, iterative design practices can work and be innovative. Worth considering and weighing up the options.

These are 3 easy and effective ways to generate energy and engagement with your change.  Try them and see the difference.