Navigating Change River

...Together

Lois Raats MEd CCC BCC

Founder & Principal Consultant Ready2Grow Associates

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Lois Raats MEd CCC BCCFounder & Principal ConsultantReady2Grow Associates

• Strategic Planning• Change Leadership• Business Development• 25+ years’ experience across all sectors & industries

• Email: lois@ready2grow.com• Twitter: @ready2growlois

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Today We’ll Explore:

• Changes, challenges and opportunities in the mutual insurance industry.

• Issues that emerge from these shifts.• How change leaders can address issues and

embrace the future.• How to build a company and an industry

culture that supports growth.

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#1. “What’s happening?”

• Notice the shift.• “Deer in the headlights”.• Don’t know what to do.• Keep doing what I’ve always done - harder!• Do it myself.

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#2. Stop. Consider.

• What I’m doing isn’t working!• Stop doing it. • Do something different.• What are my options?

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Initial Response

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Less Helpful More HelpfulAnxious ChallengedAfraid Excited

Overwhelmed EnergizedFrustrated Adaptable

Resist change Embrace change

#3. Reach out.

• “Dan! We’re gonna crash! • We need to do something different!• What should we do?”

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#4. Inner Shift.

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Inner Shift

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Less Helpful More HelpfulAnxious ChallengedAfraid Excited

Overwhelmed EnergizedFrustrated Adaptable

Resist change Embrace change

#5. Lead Change.

• Lead.• Sometimes follow.• Collaborate.• Communicate!• Solve problems together.

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1. “What’s happening?”CHALLENGES

• Competitive environment colliding with collaborative identity.

• Enforced rapid change vs. organic change.• Gov’t intervention impacting revenue models.• Expensive but necessary technology.• Aging leadership.• Younger clients and employees.• Consolidations & mergers.

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2. Stop and Consider.Challenge: ValuesIssue: Our landscape has changed irrevocably. What values remain key to our identity? • Individual, company, industry• Collaboration. Competition. Others.Important: Reduce anxiety. Deepen the dialogue.

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Stop and Consider.Challenge: Innovation

Issues: • How can we focus more attention on R&D both as individual companies and as an industry?• What projects would we enjoy collaborating on as an industry?• What collaborative projects will help to re-energize our industry /company brand?

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Stop and Consider.Challenge: ConsolidationIssue: 1. Who is best equipped to survive?2. What are the best solutions – for the

industry, brokers, clients?3. While individually established, merged

companies face many of the same challenges as start-ups: brand, business model, team roles, markets, and so on.

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Stop and Consider.Challenge: Talent Issue: How can we become more attractive to younger players?• Compelling industry brand• Compelling company brand• Compelling, engaging communications that

help to attract and retain talent

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AIESEC LAURIER #YGenY - May 1

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GenY: “We are…”

• Independent-minded• Value individual differences• Self-focused• Presented-oriented• Connected• Hungry to learn and develop• Want to make a difference

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GenY: “We what to work for a company with…”

• Strong connections• “Triple bottom line”: profit, people, planet• Digitally connected• Learning organization• Small teams• Close to home (i.e. mutual insurance industry?…)

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GenY: “We want our leaders to be…”

• Authentic / relatable• Independent thinker• Visionary / inspiring• Goal-oriented• Clear communicator• Collaborative team leader

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Stop and Consider.OPPORTUNITIES

• Celebrate history, tradition, values• Reimagine future vision• Renew industry and overall culture• Collaborate across the industry• Innovate across the industry• Engage the next generation

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Stop and Consider. What is required?

Change Leadership “Inside out, bottom up”

• Individual

• Company

• Industry

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3. Reach out.Become a Culture-Builder.

Lessons from CEOs:• Strengthen strengths.• Lead from core identity: values, purpose,

mission, and vision.• Reinforce desired behaviours.• Seek input from all stakeholders.• Create a shared story.• Communicate continually to deepen community.

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Why Culture Change is Difficult.

1. Culture is invisible.2. Culture is not easily measured.3. The forces that shape it are poorly understood.4. Culture is shaped through conversations.5. Conversations carry emotions and are shaped

by beliefs.6. People would rather avoid these conversations

because they are often not comfortable.

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Special Culture Challenges of Consolidation

“Cut and Paste” Symptoms:• Games: Us-Them, Winner-Loser, Persecutor-Victim,

Big Fish-Small Fish mentalities• Feelings – anxiety, grief, loss. “Will I lose my job?

How will my job change? Will I like the new people? Do I have to relocate? Will I like my new boss?” etc. etc.

• “Acting out” behaviour. Protectionism, silos, “presentee-ism”, powerlessness - passive-aggressive behaviour

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Leading Culture Change during Industry Changes / Consolidations• Acknowledge natural emotional reactions to change.• Review and renew Values.• Reshape a compelling Vision that inspires action.• Clarify and renew Purpose and Mission.• Rebuild teams.• Build buy-in and alignment with new vision through

culture.• Motivate and reward new behaviour.• Attract & retain the right talent.

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Energy System:

ROOTS &

FRUITS

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MISSION

PURPOSE

VALUES

Marketing

Customer Care

Sales

Team & Network

Finances

CULTURE

VISIONTech & Data

StrategyCultureInnovationLeader Skills

ECOSYSTEM

• Visible values, purpose, mission.• Walk the talk.• Set culture as an agenda item in every

meeting. e.g. Choose one value statement. Ask them what it means, and when it’s been in play this week.

• Collect and tell stories that reflect our values and purpose.

Ways to Communicate Culture Internally

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• Create a suggestion box.• Post answers to suggestions and encourage

responses.• Seek “Caught you doing right” feedback –

offer praise.• Use social media to communicate values,

purpose, and vision with your staff.

Ways to Communicate Culture Internally cont’d

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Future goal

Present realityready2grow.com

Culture Shifts

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FREEDOM

CONTROL

INTERNAL FOCUS

EXTERNAL FOCUS

CLANValues

RelationshipsFamily Businesses

Professional Services

Values

InnovationHigh Tech

HIERARCHYValues

StabilityTraditional

Mfg. / Insurance

MARKETValues

EfficiencyProgressive Mfg.

ADHOCRACYEarlier Stage

Later Stage

3. Reach Out.Core Characteristics of a Culture that Supports Growth

• Engagement• Alignment• Learning• Shared Leadership

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Engaged Employees…

• Work for more than just money.

• PASSIONATE – Care about their work.

• COMPETENT – Do things well.

• LEADERS – Take ownership for the outcome.

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Aligned Employees…

• Understand the core vision, values, purpose and mission of the organization.

• Apply the above on a daily basis according to the guiding principles.

• Solve problems in an agile fashion: given freedom to decide, fail, and learn.

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Learning Employees

Are encouraged to be:• Curious• Innovative• Learn from mistakes• Build team synergy

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Shared Leadership

The best practice for teams is shared leadership.Leaders:• Are self-directed.• Take responsibility and get the job done,

whatever it takes.• Have clear boundaries.• Think strategically, not just tactically.

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#4. Inner Shift Required.

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Energy…high or

low?

4. Inner Shift

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4. Inner Shift Which paradigm?

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Less Helpful More HelpfulAnxious ChallengedAfraid Excited

Overwhelmed EnergizedFrustrated Adaptable

Resist change Embrace change

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5. Equipped to Lead Change

• Clear understanding of the challenges.• Renewed values, purpose, and mission.• An inspiring and worthwhile vision.• An engaged, aligned, and self-directed team. • A supportive ecosystem of industry

associations and partners who foster growth.• So that you are fully equipped to embrace the

future with hope and confidence.

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Today we have taken time to…

• Notice what’s up: Changes, challenges, and opportunities.

• Stop and consider. What are the issues?

• Seek input together. How can we work together to resolve them?

• Shift and enjoy the ride.• Say a hearty YES! to change.

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Thank You!

www.ready2grow.comlois@ready2grow.com

I look forward to connectingwith you on LinkedIn and Twitter @ready2growlois

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