The Change Dude’s Blog

Are you a chicken or a pig?

Chickens and pigs, both wonderful animals that contribute to healthy, delicious breakfasts all over the world. Many years ago, when I was a young professional, one of my mentors would tell the story of breakfast. It goes like this. When you look at your morning fuel plate it’s not unusual to see bacon and eggs sitting in front of you.  Consider the contribution of the chicken and the pig. The chicken is involved in the meal by offering a fresh egg.  The pig is committed to its involvement.

Which are you? Do you commit to change or are you involved? The difference is stark.

Chickens use words like buy-in and alignment to affirm that they’ll work to make a change successful. Soft words with soft meanings imply that you’re sort of going to do things that contribute to the goals of the necessary change. You’ll be involved in the work, but if the work gets too hard, maybe you’ll quit on the efforts. Chickens need multiple enticements to stay engaged and really work to achieve the stated goals. Chickens will move the goal posts of the change just to declare success. Most people involved in transformation programs are chickens. It’s just human nature to be cautious and leave options open.

Pigs on the other hand are all in. They use words like commitment and must do. Pigs put everything they have into the effort without enticements because they believe in the ultimate vision. Pigs don’t let obstacles move the goal posts. Pigs persevere through the challenges, make sacrifices, and never relent. Achieving the goals of transformational change sits at the top of their to-do list. Every change effort must have leaders that represent the characteristics of the pig. These are the change agents, the visionaries, the evangelists.

Imagine if every team member was committed to a change effort versus being involved. The success rate of change programs would skyrocket. Visions would be achieved at a higher rate and returns on investment goals would be beaten.

Just a few tips to garner commitment:

• Set clear goals for the change effort. Words to describe and metrics to achieve.
• Align incentives for goal achievement.
• Communicate expectations clearly. Achieving genuine commitment requires clear communication of expectations, goals, and responsibilities.
• Build a roadmap of actions together with all the stakeholders.
•  Assign accountabilities for all actions with clearly defined results.
• Measure progress frequently adjusting as needed to maintain commitment.

May 21, 2024 Posted by thechangedude | Thinking About Change | Change Management, change-leadership, Leadership, transformation | Leave a comment