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A giant responsibility of every CEO is to be sure that the organization he leads might be flexible and evolve to meet the demands of the times. As CEO of a 62-year-old heritage brand, I take this responsibility very seriously. Business case studies are stuffed with firms that do this it missed major market changes and failed to adapt. In today’s dynamic business environment, firms face an even greater challenge to adapt and revolutionize their operations to meet ever-changing market needs.
Senior leaders must sustain with the constant whirlwind of change and make appropriate adjustments at the right time. In my experience, one of the best ways to achieve this is to discover and empower change agents from among your employees.
At KOA (Kampgrounds of America, Inc.), we consider that the best ideas for making change don’t at all times have to come from the top. In fact, it is often simplest when the momentum for change grows organically at different levels of the team. When change comes from team members, it reflects the organization’s authentic values and is often based on actionable insights because team members often have a good understanding of what is doable and how to get it done.
Of course, senior leaders play a key role in empowering and supporting these change agents, ensuring their success in driving positive transformation.
How to activate change agents on behalf of your organization? Here are three suggestions based on my experience.
1. Identify your change agents
At KOA, we have succeeded by believing that every worker might be a change agent. We look at each department holistically to discover leaders among our colleagues who have a passion for their work and a desire to improve our company. These people are then invited to join our change agent groups or volunteer based on their passion and interests. Our Change Agents program was initially created to address diversity, equity and inclusion programs, but has also evolved to address sustainability.
For example, our DEI change agents have demonstrated their commitment to supporting inclusion and accessibility in the outdoors, meeting each physical and neurodiverse needs. Thanks to their passion, we recently certified our Billings KOA Holiday property as an Autism-Certified property and shall be passing on the lessons learned from this process to other campsites in our system. Change agents also identified adaptive equipment that will impact the outdoor experience. Since then, we have began cooperation with Grit Freedom chairs made these off-road wheelchairs available to guests at several properties and provided funds to the national park to purchase them as a part of our philanthropic initiatives.
2. Make sure your leadership knows that change agents are a priority
The success of any change agent program requires each time and financial investment. I ensure senior management recognizes the importance of change agent work as a top priority by providing participating employees with the dedicated time they need.
While the activation budget for this program is allocated inside our HR budget, it is critical that we are aware of emerging grassroots ideas and allocate sufficient resources to support them. For example, when change agent initiatives have marketing implications, we work with the marketing team to incorporate these ideas into our strategies.
Our goal is to be sure that these ideas are implemented, not sidelined by pressing issues. I have found that once a change agent’s work priorities are clear, every part else falls into place.
There are some specific costs to consider when starting a change agent program. I highly recommend bringing all change agents together in one place for an annual summit. I also recommend hiring an external facilitator or trainer to work with change agents at the starting of the program. There is a cost to investing in any such training and expertise, but I have found that it is price the investment because it demonstrates senior management’s support and commitment to the program.
3. Change agents need dynamic leadership
Identifying a dynamic leader who gets people excited about working is extremely vital. It doesn’t have to be a senior leader. The basic leadership qualities include compliance with the company’s values, passion for work and commitment to innovation and creativity. Think of it as a more focused version of the qualities your change agents should possess. We also use a train-the-trainer model and have chosen 4 change agents for deeper training who are now prepared to train more employees. These leaders will set the tone and unite the group for activation. It is vital to convey to them that they have the authority to implement their ideas.
These change agents also lead the way when we think about growing our business and often look outside the industry for innovation in sustainability and design. This has resulted in various solar projects across our system and the introduction of electrical vehicle chargers at our locations. One change agent took the initiative to create a bee apiary at our Terramor Outdoor Resort in Bar Harbor, Maine, and also developed a program to attract bats to the property to naturally control mosquitoes.
While launching a change agent program takes time and financial resources, the advantages of getting a local network of employees who facilitate, encourage and drive change far outweigh the costs. They play a key role in mobilizing peers and promoting ideas and initiatives at local level. Next time you are considering an initiative to make major changes, I challenge you to think from the bottom up, not the top down. You shall be surprised by the ideas that come to the surface.