In July 2023 I had the pleasure of hosting an online session for Agency Hackers, which was all about making strategic change happen in your agency. You will likely have heard of Agency Hackers, but if you haven't, they're a fantastic agency community for £1m+ agencies https://www.agencyhackers.com/
If you're responsible for making big changes in your agency, then you will know that it can be bl***y hard sometimes! This is a huge topic and impossible to summarise, but some key points from yesterday's session are:
✅️ get buy-in for your changes first and foremost. Don't just communicate your strategic plan, but help people understand the need.
✅️ you can't involve everyone directly in planning change. Some people won't like this. What is your plan to still get the wider agency bought in?
✅️ "people don't like change" is an unhealthy assumption. "Nobody likes change they haven't been involved in or don't understand" is more accurate.
✅️ spend more time upfront planning your strategic initiatives and involving relevant people in the scope. It will save you time later on.
✅️ have a solid plan to move your strategy out of the boardroom and into the agency. Translate each strategic objective into a project with clear ownership and KPIs.
✅️ don't overload teams with change. Do a few things, but implement them properly.
I recommend Melanie Franklin MCMI ChMC's books and courses on Agile Change Management if you want a solid foundation for how to roll out change effectively.
Check out Agency Hackers' online sessions - they're for all agency owners and leaders, not just members.