One of the biggest challenges of the future of work is convincing people that change is productive and positive. As you fight for change, you’ll undoubtedly come across people who are used to doing things how they’ve always been done and don’t want to change.

Jim Heppelmann, CEO of PTC, shared three pieces of advice with me on how to battle entrenched thinking to move your team or your company forward.

  1. Make change part of the company brand. Jim created slogans like “Take a Fresh Look” and made change one of his organization’s core values. Updating the company’s internal and external brand to encourage change makes it clear your organization is moving forward and helps employees make sure they really are taking a fresh look when they make decisions.
  2. Lead by example. If you as a leader are always looking to the past and using old ideas, your employees will do the same. Leaders need to ask questions and look for better ways of doing things. When you set an example and battle your entrenched thinking, you encourage people around you to do the same.
  3. Celebrate change, even if it failed. Failure and growth are inextricably linked. You can’t innovate unless you are willing to make mistakes. Reward the behavior of trying something new, not just the result. If someone takes a risk that doesn’t work, celebrate the effort and focus on trying new things instead of the end result. Reward and recognize the behavior you want to see.

Future leaders and change-makers will always have to battle entrenched thinking. Following Jim’s advice can help you lead change within your team and organization and move towards a better way of working.

I put together a video which talks about this in more detail. Please check it out below and if you want more content like this you can subscribe to my Youtube channel.

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