Speaking from personal experience, changing processes within your security guard company is never easy. But nonetheless, the business environment that security guard companies exist in has been changing at the speed of light and won’t be slowing down anytime soon. In order to stay competitive in this environment, security guard companies have to embrace change.
Without change we would still be pecking out business letters on a typewriter while dreading making a mistake (Remember Liquid Paper…), stuffing that letter it in an envelope, trying to find a stamp to mail it, and then hoping that the recipient receives it two days later. With change, now we can leisurely type out an email and send it to a recipient in just a matter of minutes. Technological change, on its own, has changed every aspect of our businesses, and most of the time in a good way. Even though it may be a little challenging to learn the latest and greatest, it usually pays off in increased productivity in the long run.
As the business environment continues to change, so do your customers’ needs and expectations. These types of changes usually open new areas of opportunity for companies. Finding ways to provide these new products and services will give your security guard company the ability to differentiate yourself from your competition.
So if change is a good thing, why is it so hard? For most people change and adversity are difficult obstacles to overcome, especially in their working environments. Many times employees fear that change will result in:
- Losing their jobs
- Loss of face
- Getting moved to unfamiliar positions
- Concerns about competence
- More work
- Loss of control
Effectively managing these fears is a skill that good leaders and managers must master. I have found that the best tool for leaders who are managing organizational change is the ability to understand the sources of resistance and having strategies to overcome them. Here are 5 recommendations for dealing with change in your security guard company.
5 Strategies For Mastering Change Within Your Security Guard Company
1. Allow Time for the Change to Happen: Changing core processes within your security guard company will take time for a couple of reasons. First, you have limited resources, both financial and human. Because you will need to continue running the other parts of your business, you will probably only be able to direct limited resources toward the change process. Second, you will have to deal with employees who are resistant to change, so you will need to have a lot of patience.
2. Communicate Early and Often: Clearly communicating the vision behind the change and why it is necessary is essential in keeping employees committed and engaged. Ensure that you are keeping everyone, including your frontline officers, updated on how the changes will affect them directly and indirectly. By keeping your employees informed, they will feel like they are part of the process and it will also help control any harmful rumors that may begin to propagate.
3. Prepare Your Managers: Because your managers will be on the frontline fielding questions and assuaging fears, ensure that they are adequately prepared. They must understand the emotional landscape that they will be operating in and also have the tools to interpret and respond to your employees. It might be time to up their Emotional Intelligence (EQ).
4. Don’t Forget About Today: While you are managing change within your organization, don’t forget about what’s going on in your business right now. If your current business begins to suffer, it will only compound the difficulty of implementing any desired changes.
5. Keep an Eye on the Picture: In addition to managing the here and now, don’t forget to remember the big picture. Focusing on the intricate details of the change process will allow you to make progress from day-to-day. But taking time to remember what the end goal is will ensure that you stay on track and fulfill your vision.
Change can be frightening to your employees and disruptive to your business. However, with a vision and a good plan you will be able to negotiate any obstacles that present themselves during the process.
Have you ever gone through a significant change within your organization? If so, how did you manage it? Please feel free to share your comments below.
By Courtney Sparkman
