This article by Bruce E. Brown and Rob Miller, from the Proactive Coaching Leadership collection, explains how leaders trying to change or improve a team culture should choose the people they bring along to facilitate the process. It describes the kinds of people who make change succeed – committed workers with vision, security and passion – and those who slow or block progress, concluding with the advice to move forward with those who are invested and motivated.
Introduction
We are getting more and more groups who want to follow the Proactive Coaching path of changing or improving a team culture. We have had individual athletic teams, entire athletic departments, schools, businesses, and even school districts who are trying to make positive changes. They want to change who they are and what they stand for and there have been many success stories.
Working with them, we have learned a lot. One of the critical steps is for the person who is leading the change to know who to bring along to facilitate the process. On the first visit, we usually ask the team leader to bring a few of the "most influential people". I am not sure that has been enough clarification. Some people are influential change agents and other "influencers" can slow or even block progress.