3 Ways to Implement Change

Great ideas don't offer much if you can't put them into action. Use these key rules to make change happen.

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Recently I wrote about companies that end up with a "Museum of Good Ideas." The problem many organizations face is not that they lack for great, transformational ideas--but that they can't get those ideas to catch fire and develop momentum.
One of my friends, Tricia Emerson, co-wrote the book on overcoming one of the core obstacles to idea implementation: the resistance to change. In The Change Book, she outlined some great ways to get companies of any size to accelerate the pace of change.
Many companies, she argues, make big changes in technology, organization charts, compensation, marketing plans and other initiatives, yet just send an email and expect the organization to change automatically. She and her co-author, Mary Stewart, argue that successful change requires the following must-have ingredients.
Get Executive Management on Message
Management communications should be short, clear and consistent when explaining the reason for the change. Slick, multi-page program overview documents are not nearly as compelling as a direct statement, delivered with conviction. And there can't be any light showing among the management team on this change: You need a united front to get employee buy-in.
Position the Change
If you want acceptance of a new idea, position it in such a way that busy people with competing priorities can process quickly. Here are three possible positions:

• Force the change by eliminating the old system. This can be aggressive, but allowing parallel systems for a long transition doesn't ease the pain; it just delays it.
• Create context choices that favor the change. People need a framework to evaluate against. A great example comes from Williams-Sonoma, which developed a bread machine with a roughly $200 price point--the first of its kind. It didn't sell too well, however, until they put out a roughly $300 bread machine. Then the $200 versions flew off the shelves, because people had something to compare it to--they needed a frame of reference to determine if it was a good value.
• Frame consequences in a negative context. Show the alternative to change as being even scarier. We know that people need to understand the upside to be interested, but the downside in order to change.

Make It Safe & Celebrate Success
There is a risk to making change with a certain draconian feel. You don't want to rob people of a positive experience; you just want to ensure you get results.
You create the positive experience when people feel that the implementation is controlled, the process was similar to other implementations, and that success gets celebrated at the key milestones, as well as in the end result. This is where project leadership and communication have the greatest impact.
Take a minute and think of the last year in your company. Consider technology, markets, pricing, people, organization charts, operating parameters and so on: How many changes did you make? If you are like the vast majority of companies in the U.S., you have a long list.
People are change-weary, yet these changes are often in response to a world that is changing even faster. If you want to continue to be ahead of the curve in your marketplace, becoming more effective and accelerating change will offer you a competitive advantage.

Four Strategies for Getting It Done in Your Organization

Holly Green, Contributor

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I work with, support and present to hundreds of CEOs and business owners each year. In a world that changes as quickly as ours, they are getting more and more worried about old, entrenched ways of thinking and doing as a source of real vulnerability for their organizations. Most of them are also deeply concerned about a lack of execution and consider it one of their biggest competitive threats.
Getting the right things done involves a systematic process of rigorously discussing “hows and whats,” questioning, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability. It requires making assumptions about the business environment, assessing the organization’s capabilities, linking strategy to operations and the people who will implement that strategy, and then linking rewards to performance and results.
To get it done — however you define it — make sure to focus on these four actions:
Set performance goals
Getting it done starts with focusing on where you want to go. Give yourself a target. Define excellence with as much specificity as you can. Then think about what you need to move out of the way or suspend in order to hit that target. Once you have a firm goal/destination, keep it in front of you and everyone else in the organization at all times.
Too often, we hold ourselves back from imagining a desired outcome unless someone can show us how to get there. But that’s not how our brain works best to generate and recognize solutions and methods. Creating clear outcomes is one of the most powerful skills in the world – and one of the most important for getting it done. When we have a clear target of where we want to go, the brain automatically focuses on getting there.
Once you set a target, compare your current reality with your destination in order to see the gap between the two. Then constantly define and re-define what you’re trying to accomplish and where you’re trying to go as the world around you changes.
Establish priorities
Setting priorities isn’t difficult. Make a list all the things you do and identify which ones contribute most to reaching your destination. The challenge comes from staying focused when interruptions and unexpected work want to push those priorities aside.
We can’t avoid interruptions. But we can make informed choices about how we spend our time. How important is the unexpected work compared to what you thought you needed to get done? How long can you let your in-basket go unprocessed and all your stuff un-reviewed and trust that you’re still making good decisions?
For two weeks, track how you spend your time by listing it in one of four quadrants:

1. Important and urgent
2. Important and not urgent
3. Not important and urgent
4. Not important and not urgent

Identify how much time you spend in categories 1 and 2. Then look at what you need to shift and how you can you create a context for shifting it. There really is no magic wand on getting the right things done. You have to make informed choices (sometimes tough ones) regarding limited resources.
Measure progress
Many people see measurement as a means of controlling behavior or micro-managing others. In reality, it’s an essential tool for getting it done.
A scorecard can help to clarify the strategy and goals while managing alignment across individuals, departments, and initiatives. When used effectively, it becomes a communication vehicle, not a constraint for employees. A scorecard provides a variety of views into the business, and helps you maintain focus across all the important indicators.
Measurement tells a story (by tracking key financial and operational metrics) that links the measurements directly to your destination. It also forces ongoing consideration of limits, risks, and barriers

Dubai Hotel Under Water

Unbelievable Hotel under the water not anywhere but just in Dubai city, the planned of ​​building a luxury hotel which is minimum sixty six feet underwater for away from any noise. Right next to the Burj al-Arab, manufactured islands and indoor ski slopes, the commercial capital of the island, Hydropolis will agree in the ideal estimate of £ 300 000 000 United Kingdom, this amazing technical challenges, so that customers can rejoice true peace and getting relax to come there beautiful and calming place. 

Hero MotoCorp to invest Rs. 2,575 cr in expansion

Eighteen months after it parted ways with Honda Motor, Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL), the country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, announced on Monday it will invest Rs. 2,575 crore to set up two new plants in Rajasthan and Gujarat and an integrated research and development (R&D) centre that 

would boost its annual production capacity to nine million from the current seven million.

The board also approved a proposal to merge the investment arm — Hero Investments Pvt Ltd (HIPL) — with the parent in a move that will give private equity funds Bain Capital and GIC 8.58% and 3.71% stakes respectively in Hero MotoCorp.

Hero’s promoters, bought out Japanese auto major Honda’s 26% stake in Hero Honda last year, ending a 26-year-old partnership.

The Munjal family, the company’s promoters, bought out Honda’s stake for $851 million (aboutRs. 4,200 crore) through their unlisted private investment arm HIPL in which Bain and GIC held a significant stake. The private equity funds will own equity in the listed Hero MotoCorp following HIPL’s merger with the parent holding company.

“From our perspective, this is the best time to invest, so that when growth comes in, we are prepared for it,” said Pawan Munjal, MD and CEO.

The investment will be funded through cash reserves of Rs. 4,000 crore, said Ravi Sud, chief financial officer. Hero sold over 6.2 million motorcycles and scooters in 2011-12 and has a marketshare of 55% in the domestic two-wheeler market.

The company, which has a market capitalisation of around Rs. 36,802 crore, was all set to embark on its global journey by starting exports to new countries, said Munjal. The first exports will begin in the next quarter to countries in Central America and Nigeria in Africa.

The company will set up an integrated R&D centre spread over 250 acres at Kukas, Jaipur in Rajasthan, pumping in Rs. 400 crore, which is going to be the largest two-wheeler R&D centre in the country.

ten mistakes that can effect your business success

1. Financial problems - If you have not set up your business with the proper procedures and backing, you will soon find that you are out of business. You need to have a Business Plan and the financial support that will allow your business time to grow in the start-up phase.

2. Relational - Many people surround themselves with people who drain their time and energy. If you have a business partner who is not working on the same goals as you are, it won't be long until the business will suffer.

3. Personal - Dishonesty, old negative patterns, untreated mental or physical ailments, family demands or hidden "secrets" can all interfere with your business success.

4. Addictions - When people have an addiction, it take priority over everything. In fact, alcohol or drugs can become a "first love" that steals reasoning and resources not only at a personal level but also from a business endeavor.

5. Incompetence/Inexperience - When you do not know what you are doing, mistakes can occur frequently. Your time and reputation will likely suffer as you try to clean up the mess!

6. Poor self-care - People who are tired, under nourished or ill are not able to reach their potential. As a result, everyone, including that person, the rest of the staff and the client suffer.

7. Lack of Focus - Many businesses fail because time and energy are invested in the wrong things. You need to know where to invest your attention so that you have good revenue and an acceptable bottom line.

8. Poor Service - Clients come to you in order to have their needs met. If this doesn't happen, they will not only look elsewhere for services but also spread the word that your business is not very helpful.

9. Inflexibility - You need to be able to adjust your ideas in order to improve the business. Stubbornness without consideration of options will kill a business in a world that welcomes change and new ways of doing things.

10. Other Psychological Factors - World trends and economic times can have a strong impact on how a business will do. If you are not motivated or able to handle stress, you will likely soon find that running a business can be an overwhelming adventure.