Change is not a sprint; it is a marathon you run in many sprints!

No matter how hard you want, you will not be able to quickly implement changes and get back to business as usual the next day. I get it, change is hard and uncomfortable, we all want to get over with it fast, unfortunately it doesn't work like that. It is not a one-time event, a sprint you run as fast as you can and be done with. It is a marathon, and it will take time and more important, diagnose, resources and strategy. Good news, at the finish line it’s all worth it.

When you think about it, change management and running a marathon successfully are pretty similar. I have to admit, I never participated in a marathon, but I did manage some changes and the feeling is similar from what I heard about running long distances. So, make sure you prepare thoroughly and set some time aside in the beginning of the race to find your pace, the rhythm you are comfortable with. After that, just run your race, follow your goals, don’t compete with others and expect the unexpected. And we call it the unexpected for poetic license purposes, but in reality, everybody knows it is nothing but. In the end, finish strong, enjoy your results and see how you can implement the initiatives at organization level and how you can anchor the changes you made.

Preparation – both in change and marathons this can make or break you!

One of the reasons change fails so often, and maybe the most encountered answer, is the fact that people think you can all of a sudden start change, just like that, and everything will work out. As in the case of running a marathon, you cannot just get off your couch after years of sedentarism and just go for it. Or maybe you can, but you will definitely fail and not finish. Also, you have a great chance of really hurting yourself.

For the marathon you need to practice, run shorter races, hydrate and stretch. It is the same before a change, you need to get yourself and the organization ready before starting. Find out the readiness level of your company and diagnose the culture. See if the mindset of the organization is going to allow changes. Maybe even look at history, what was the outcome the last time you tried to change something.

Finding your pace, your rhythm – your change process, your roadmap, your timeline

Maybe in the first stage just start small, test some things, check out how people react and get everyone involved in the decision, after all, they are going to run the race so make sure they want and can.

How much time you can take people out of their daily work to implement change? What resources are you willing to allocate for this process? Prioritize and remember that the saying „slow is smooth and smooth is fast” applies both for change management and running a marathon.

Running your race – you know your company the best, you decide the change initiatives

The only ones that really know what needs to change are the people on the ground, you and your team. You have to find the solutions, the change initiatives because you will implement them, so you have to trust them. Use empathizing, ideation and ranking in workshops and find out what works for you. An external consultant can help with guidance, tools and facilitation of meetings, but you do the hard work.

Hitting the wall – how you react to challenges influences the outcome of your race

When running a marathon there is one moment around kilometre 30 that runners describe as hitting a wall. You experience a sudden and dramatic decrease in energy and performance when muscle glycogen stores are depleted making every move seem like an ordeal. There are some tips and tricks to avoid and overcome this moment but what helps is not going off to fast in the beginning and training really well.

In a change process we also have something similar. But is more related to mindset and behaviour rather than glycogen stores. First time in a change process that beliefs and principles are contradicted, people will stop or at least slow down, really decreasing the chances of success. There is no way to eliminate this moment from the change process, sooner or later you will hit a wall, you just have to be prepared and remember why you started in the first place and use that to overcome the wall.

Finish strong, enjoy the fruit of your labour – all perils avoided, enjoy

The last part of the change process, even if it is still hard and tricky, will definitely seem way easier after you go over the wall, you solve all problems and eliminate all resistance. This is the moment you must start to enjoy the trip, otherwise it will not stick. In the final part you will start to see improvements, people trusting in the process and understanding that the finish line is near and their lives will be better. Look at runners in the final stretch, they are exhausted, everything hurts, but they smile because they finished strong and the accomplished their goals.

People fear change mostly because they fear the unknown, nobody can really tell what’s behind the curtain, you must go there and do the work. And I will not sugar coat it, it will be hard and painful, you will doubt yourself many times on the road but if it would have been easy, everybody could have done it. Just like in the case of a marathon, change starts with running the first mile, after that your motivation and trust in a better future will be fuel enough for you to finish. And make no mistake, your first marathon will be an ordeal but after you finish your first, it will definitely not be your last. The adrenalin rush it will be addictive. And it is the same with change, when you see the advantages and benefits you get, you’ll start looking for new areas to improve.

Enjoy your race, make it fun and see you at the finish line!