Discuss Change the Idea
With Potential Team Members

To build a Change Team, you enroll people who already have an interest in working on your Change Initiative. Do not sell the idea. People who buy into your idea as a result of a sales pitch may not actually be committed to it. If they figure they bought something that was prepackaged, it will always be your idea, not theirs. The people who become members of the Change Team must be committed to the Change Initiative and give it their all. Approach potential team members prepared to share your vision and also to solicit their ideas about what you're working on. Perhaps the best recruits for the Change Team you are building are people whose ideas you have included in your plans.

Talk openly with them about the time demands this Change Team will make on them. Be sure they understand that the first step will be going through a two-day team development process before they even begin making the change.

At the very least, bring the following information with you when you approach someone to check them out for the Change Team you are building:

• The proposed Change Initiative, including reports of the investigation you conducted and all information available at the time.
• Clear reasons about why you are thinking of them as a prospective member of the Change Team.
• A copy of the ChangeCraft™ Process so they can get a good idea of what will be expected of them. (And a reference to the information on the web site at http://changecraft.com).
• A list of potential team members.
• A short reference page about the Champion you have selected and why you chose that person for these responsibilities.
• Information on team development schedules,
• Some information about yourself (like your application to be a Change Agent, descriptions of other Change Initiatives you have worked on and anything else you see as pertinent.

You may approach someone that you have never met to discuss participating on the team. That person's first impression of you can strongly affect the choice s/he will make about joining the initiative you've planned. Come prepared and make a good impression. This process is a two-way street. You are learning whether this person and the Change Initiative are good match. The candidate is getting to know the same.

Don't expect to make an offer during your first visit with a person. Plan for a thirty-minute discussion that allows you to learn about the person while s/he learns about the initiative. Make it clear in advance that you believe neither of you should make a final decision at that meeting.

Whatever you do, don't invite a person to be on the team just because they want to join. You have worked hard on this initiative. You believe that it should be implemented successfully. You must select people for this team only because they bring the skills and orientations that will allow them to work together successfully. After the quality of your planning work, the make-up of the team is the second most important aspect of getting the change made. Remember, this team will own your initiative after it gets started.

What do you look for? Skills and personal qualities. As part of your planning, you have created a list of skills or capabilities the team will need to implement the initiative. During your research and in your talks with the Champion, you have gotten an idea of what kinds of resistance or opposition this team will face. Use this knowledge to determine what kinds of personalities -- characteristics or personal styles -- will find it easiest to succeed. By the time you have selected the potential team members, you should have all the bases covered for the needed skills and qualities.

One last issue: be sure that you have strong diversity among team members. The team you build should have people from different backgrounds with different perspectives. While most of the team members will have jobs working in the process to be changed, be sure to recruit one or two people who have no connection to that work. They will be able to maintain a fresh perspective and spur innovation as the initiative shifts and evolves.

© 1997 ChangeCraft™

Written by Heidi Jeanne Hess and Doug Wesley
(Veronica Boaz contributed)

Check Point

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