Our approach to change management will help you build support for new initiatives, identify even hidden resistance to change, and enable you to become more successful at leading change in your organization. We call it Change without Migraines™

We know it can be difficult to get the results you want from major changes. In fact, only about one-third of all organizational changes are worth the effort. Most die, go way over budget and time, or get implemented in a weak watered down version.
Successful change demands that people at all levels of the organization be committed to the new way of doing things. But resistance to change is a major reason why changes fail.
Our goal is to help you lead change without migraines™ Yes, managing and leading change is possible without all those headaches. Of course, there is no magic answer or easy solution. But we've seen clients apply our change without migraines™ approach with great success. They build support quicker and reduce the likelihood that resistance to change will take over.

Clients experience:

• Major new initiatives up and running quickly
• Major projects back on track when things begin to derail
• Sustained commitment to change over the long haul

Consulting Services

We provide expertise to help you identify even deeply hidden resistance and turn it into support for change, and so implement even the most difficult strategic and tactical changes.

How do you lead change without migraines™? Our work is based on the belief that successful change occurs most often when people build a strong foundation of support for new initiatives. However, our experience shows that this human part of change is often ignored or given only lip service. In these instances, people are treated as boxes to be checked off as leaders try to enlist their support or force compliance. Little effort is made to engage people's heads and hearts in planning and implementation. This creates resistance and often kills otherwise good new ideas.

We help you avoid challenges in five critical areas:

• Making a case for change. People need to get why an
  issue is crucial before they will commit to change. We
  can help you make your case in a way that touches
  peoples minds and hearts.
• Getting people aligned. All key stakeholders must
  work toward the same compelling vision. We can show
  you how to make that happen.
• Keeping the Change Alive. It’s one thing to roll out an
  idea, it is quite another to see the results from all your
  effort. Too many good ideas die after a considerable waste
  of talent and money. We can work closely with you so that
  you get benefit from these major investments.
• Getting Things Back on Track. Face it, unexpended
  things happens that can derail a perfectly good idea. It’s
  best to be prepared for the unexpected. We can show
  you how to keep a major new initiative from derailing.
• Leadership Development. Leading change requires
  special skills. Not everyone is a natural. The more you
  know about how to lead change, the easier it will be to
  create support instead of resistance, and the more
  resourceful you will be when those brilliant plans need
  to be adjusted.

We find that otherwise decent ideas die simply because leaders failed at their job of leading the change. For example, leaders give people a book and hope that will take care of everything. No book (not even one of mine, sad to say) will replace the tough job of leading change. . . . Or, they let the consultants do the work. They invite a swarm of consultants to descend on the company. They do the analysis, develop plans, and then leave town. Suddenly all that energy and talent is gone. As you look around and there is no one left to champion the change. . . Or finally, there is no time to get people involved, Leaders say, “we've got work to do.” Leaders inflict the change on staff. And, like clockwork, employees and managers put up walls of resistance.

We believe we offer better alternatives. Please read on to see if you agree. If so, please give us a call.

Assess the Situation

You need to know where you stand. Are people on board with you? Do they see the same challenge you do? Do they trust the people leading them? Do they understand how to move ahead? We believe an assessment is a great place to begin. No matter if you are at the beginning of a change or moving slowly along months into the project, you may find it very helpful to get a lay of the land. That knowledge allows you to correctly use your limited resources to keep things moving.

Advice and Personal Coaching Retainer

This is a highly individualized arrangement. Jointly, we identify a few major objectives for our one-on-one work together. We determine what the work will look like. Will we meet face-to-face? How often? Will we talk on the phone once a week? Would you like unlimited access to Rick by phone and e-mail?

This is a very good option for a leader who doesn't need a consultant on site to facilitate meetings, develop plans, run interference, and so forth – but would like someone he or she can trust as a sounding board and advisor. This a great option for leaders who are pretty self-directed and know when to ask for help and feedback.

Change without Migraines™ Consulting

In these situations, we get invited in to assist a planning team from the beginning of the change through implementation. We work a little differently than the big consulting firms. We don't move in and take over. It's still your project and you need to lead it. We're there to support you and give you our best advice.

We write a proposal based on what you say you tell us you need. With some clients we work face-to-face with the planning team once a month. Others want us to be there a little more often to help them plan and conduct important meetings with stakeholders, coach leaders, run focus groups, and do some training. Each of our engagements is quite different from all the others. The common link is that all of our work is based on our Change without Migraines™ philosophy – and that's what you're reading about on these pages.

By the way, Rick Maurer leads every project. He may bring in associates to assist, but you'll be working closely with him throughout the engagement.
If you're interested in knowing more about our work, please give us a call. As for our brochure, you're reading it right now.

Presentations

"After hearing Rick's presentation, we revamped the entire change management agenda for training leaders in our company."
Linda Pardo
Shell Deep Water Development

We offer speeches and seminars on our Change without Migraines™ approach. Our goal is to help you get results from major changes without headaches, cost overruns, and hidden problems.

Our approach to leading change is unique. We help you identify even deeply hidden resistance, overcome it quickly, and in so doing implement even the most difficult strategic and tactical changes. Knowing how to work with resistance is key to turning skepticism and opposition into support for major new initiatives. If leaders understand resistance they can often avoid it before it occurs - or get things back on track when a change is about to derail.

We work closely with you to prepare a presentation that meets your objectives. We will make strong suggestions, but you are the final judge as to where you want to place emphasis during these presentations.

Change without Migraines™ Formula

This is a complete self-study course on our approach. You can take it at your pace. It mixes theory with practical application at every step along the way. It is not for everyone. It takes commitment and work, but for those who are serious about leading change more effectively we believe we offer something powerful and unique. And, we believe, it is far more practical and cost effective than sending people off to generic change management training. The Change without Migraines™ Formula invites you to apply what you are learning as you are learning.

Change Management Open Source Project

The open source project is a forum where you can come to learn more about our Change without Migraines™ approach (Podcasts, background videos, a training design, PowerPoint slides), a discussion forum where you can share and talk about ideas, an open blog, and a series of Podcasts with practitioners and thought leaders.
To access this completely free resource, click here: Change Management Open Source Project

For more information about our services, please contact us

© 2009 Rick Maurer. Rick uses his Change without Migraines™ to advise organizations on how to lead change effectively. He is author of many books including Beyond the Wall of Resistance. Recently, he created the Change Management Open Source Project, a free resource for people interested in change in organizations. www.beyondresistance.com