Lesson 7 — Communicating the Change Vision: Words, Deeds and Two-Way Learning
Chapter 17 gives seven practices.
- Keep it simple — remove jargon and unnecessary complexity.
- Metaphor, analogy and example — make abstract direction concrete.
- Many forums — meetings, conversations and multiple media rather than one launch message.
- Repetition — important messages need sustained exposure.
- Walk the Talk — leader decisions, incentives and behavior must match the stated vision.
- Explain inconsistencies — legitimate exceptions should be explained honestly, including rationale and duration.
- Give and Take — listen as well as broadcast; stakeholder feedback exposes gaps between the intended and experienced state.
The deepest rule: deeds communicate
An executive can send weekly “enterprise first” emails while incentives reward local silo optimization. The incentive system sends the stronger message.
Repetition cannot repair hypocrisy. If behavior is aligned but people simply have not heard the vision enough, repetition/multiple forums may be the right answer. If behavior contradicts the vision, Walk the Talk is primary.
Legitimate exception vs unexplained inconsistency
A formally governed exception does not automatically invalidate a standard. What damages credibility is pretending the inconsistency does not exist or applying it without rationale/control.
Give and Take
The source uses perception gaps—such as IT believing data is timely while business users maintain shadow workarounds—to show why listening matters. Communication should improve not only understanding but also the execution of the change.
Retrieval check
Q: Executives repeatedly say “enterprise data first” but bonuses reward local silo optimization. Strongest communication failure?
A: Failure to Walk the Talk; deeds contradict the vision.
Source: pp. 547–548, 560–565.