Change Management (In Technology and Beyond) - Rachel Vandenberg

Speaker 1: 0:00

Over the past few weeks, we've focused a lot on technology. One key part of any technology implementation is change management guiding your teams through the process of improving To understand how to do this more effectively. we're learning today from Rachel Vandenberg, a hotel owner, operator and leadership coach.

So I wonder if we could talk a little bit about transition and change. What advice would you have for those listening that are either going through change right now or wanting to go through change?

Speaker 2: 0:49

Maybe the most important topic for a leader is change management, and we're in a time when change is happening so rapidly, and I've had to learn the hard way. It starts with things like introducing a new software to your employees. I was very impatient a couple of years ago with the software I wanted to launch, and I skipped a lot of steps, and it led to a lot of consternation amongst the team and created a lot of problems. So that's the wrong way to do it. The right way to do it. I think the most important thing is communication, transparency, and even when you don't know the answer to the impact of change that you're keeping people abreast of, okay, this is what's happening, this is what's happening. This is what I do know, this is what I don't know. And talking about the why, that's another big one the why behind the change. What's the reason that we are going to embark on this? Sometimes, though, it's also not in your control, like the pandemic, obviously, and that's when it becomes even more crucial to communicate. Another big part of it is showing strength as a leader, and, at the same time, it's a bit of a double-sided thing, because I think you also need to show your vulnerabilities. You need to show that, hey, i've got your back through this change, but hey, i'm also struggling with certain parts of this, and this is not easy, that this is happening.

Speaker 1: 2:35

How have you thought about doing that for yourself? It's a hard line to walk where you're showing your team that you're there for them, but you're also being vulnerable around that. This is hard.

Speaker 2: 2:45

Yes, it's not easy, an easy thing, and I think what comes up for me is that it's a lot about reflection, mindfulness, self-care and naming your own emotions about things and how you're feeling about things and talking them out with people reflecting on it, because it can be a lonely place when you're the leader and you're leading change and you're struggling with your own part of things. You need that support as well.

Speaker 1: 3:23

Just to that point of your reflection and self-care. Have you found a practice to be useful in that regard for yourself?

Speaker 2: 3:32

Yes, i meditate almost daily and that's been a really huge exercise. I really also try to do something at least four or five times a week. Those have been my two absolutely critical things to support myself in difficult processes, for sure.

Speaker 1: 3:53

I find a lot of people are great hospitality practitioners but don't have a lot of exposure to change management with technology And I guess, above and beyond the general advice that you had on change management, was there anything like if you were to redo that software implementation? is there any advice that you would have for learnings that you had about software activation specifically that you would advise our listeners?

Speaker 2: 4:17

Yes, i think a couple of things that I didn't do well in that process were I didn't vet enough alternatives. I had kind of settled on one and didn't investigate the other options. So that was a big one. And the next part of it was I didn't communicate well. you know the steps before launch, and so I ended up after the fact really having to catch up and like work through with people, the challenges and their misgivings and fears and things like that around adding a new software. So those are some of the things.