Dedicated Champion

What allowed us to depart from our normal manner of business? I believe the most important element was a successful champion who engendered interest in process change. Our champion is a respected team member who is well known for getting work done and for his sincere desire to help lead the organization toward practical improvements.

To increase your effectiveness in introducing your new idea, make a case for having the work part of your job description.

You are an Evangelist(144) who has successfully enlisted a Local Sponsor(186) or Corporate Angel(123).

Effectively introducing a new idea into any organization is too much work for a volunteer.

Without the pro-active effort of someone whose job description includes championing the new idea, it can wither and die on the vine. A single, dedicated individual can bring a focus to the activities necessary to maintain a sufficient level of interest to keep the idea alive. A volunteer doesn’t have enough time to do this. To get this time, the change effort needs to be recognized as part of your job.

Therefore:

Make a case for including the change initiative as part of your job description.

To convince your manager, consider the following suggestions. Managers are interested in metrics. Track the number of Brown Bags(113), the number and names of attendees, and those you have signed up for the e-Forum(135). If you have any findings, objective or subjective from your own experience applying Just Do It(177) or the experience of others, this is also convincing information. The support of a local guru will help, especially if it is someone your manager trusts. Offer to schedule a Guru Review(161) to provide an evaluation of the appropriateness of the idea for your organization.

External Validation(148) is also convincing, especially if the publications are in the domain the manager cares about or business-related books and articles. News about a competitor can make a big difference! A Big Jolt(107) visitor can be influential if he spends time in a Royal Audience(210) to address the manager’s concerns.

You are “dedicated” if you have: (1) devotion to the cause and (2) time dedicated to the task of championing the new idea. You can start with a small percentage of your time and later use Tailor Made(234) to argue for expanding it if there are business reasons that will be compelling to your manager.

When you become the Dedicated Champion, keep your enthusiasm and don’t neglect any of your current Evangelist activities. Even if you are hired as a Dedicated Champion, you must still take on the role of an Evangelist.

Realize that you do not own the success of the new idea. Too often, a Dedicated Champion, in his zeal to succeed, does all the work rather than facilitating and ensuring that others do their part. Use Involve Everyone(173) and Ask for Help(104). Measure success by how many tasks you encourage others to do. You must become comfortable with an emergence of the new idea in the organization, patient as teams struggle to find how the innovation helps them succeed, and secure enough to create opportunities for others to do their part.

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This pattern creates a role dedicated to leading the introduction of the innovation into the organization. The new idea is likely to grow in the organization because you now have time, and possibly additional resources, to carry out the necessary tasks in the change initiative.

However, the approval of this role may come with the expectation to succeed. If the success of the innovation is on your shoulders, it becomes important for you to justify your time, track the results and the small successes, and continually demonstrate the benefits. Metrics can be useful. If you note these as you go, you will have them in your “back pocket” in case your boss needs data to justify your new role.

Margaret’s primary job in the organization was to introduce the innovation into the organization. Because of this, she had time to do things like talk with people individually, arrange special events, keep the idea visible, and have regular conversations about what is going on with the managers. In other words, the biggest and most important resource she had was time.

A newly hired vice chancellor noticed there were a few areas in the university that had been neglected and were in need of attention. So he appointed one faculty member to each of the areas with the task of making improvements. Because they were awarded some “reassigned time” from their teaching obligations, they had the time to examine the problems and lead the needed changes.