The Change Management Ship Has Left the Dock

Is your agency going through change management?

Do you know what it looks like if you saw it?

Are you willing to endure the cycle of change?

How will change affect you?

All good questions of course but the most important question most folks ask during change management is how will this affect their jobs or will I have a job when this is all through?

Good question – will you?

This all depends upon you and your attitude. When I arrived at HUD, not long after completing my MBA studies, I was well versed in Change Management practices from the top down as we spent a significant amount of time studying the topic. So as I set foot in the agency and began to get a feel of the tempo, the mood and climate of employee and management relations, it didn’t take long for me to understand that the Change Management Ship has left the dock. The biggest question remains, what will it look like when it comes back to port.

For the last few growing years, HUD has placed miserably in the Government Employee Satisfaction Surveys. I think the latest survey results are still pending for the year.  But the biggest thing is that these surveys really tend to measure the temperature if you will as a guiding light for management that indeed Change Management just may be necessary to turn the ship around. In other words, the survey is like the warning flags of poor weather ahead so “hold on to your seats folks this is going to be a bumpy ride.”

Here are some tips to staying the course if you should so choose this mission:

• Be flexible
• If in doubt of your job then work on Plan B
• Enroll in college courses to enhance your resume
• Update your resume in case you decide to make an exit strategy or apply for new jobs
• If you are a bargaining unit employee and want to get more in the know then get involved in the Union where you can have a more active voice
• Make good decisions for you and your family. Sometimes relocations are necessary for the new job but not all circumstances will allow such a change but perhaps this could be a blessing in disguise
• Network with organizations and friends
• Be prepared to make some decisions and you may have to make them quickly
• Be willing to move into a “transformed” position – ie similar job that you had with some changes giving it a slightly look and feel