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Around the world people are reflecting on the life and political
legacy of Ronald Reagan. This reflection comes over 15 years
after he left power and is thus focused on the bigger events
of his life. Doing so brings our attention to his successes
as a leader or "sponsor" -- the term this Institute uses in
referring to the legitimizing strength of an authority behind
a deliberate agenda -- of change.
As President of the US during 1981-89,
Ronald Reagan did not dwell on the details. Instead he set big
visions or goals for himself and his Administration. At the
time of his presidency, he was derided for what was perceived
as his ineptness, lack of knowledge, and inattention to the
minutiae of governance. Time went on to paint a different picture.
Today it is recognized that he possessed, intuitively or otherwise,
key characteristics of all effective leaders of change: He clearly
knew where he was going. He was committed to that destination.
He did not let resistance dissuade or distract him. Nor did
he deny the resistance in the first place (sometimes he changed
his tactics in order to get around it).
Commitment and clarity of objective cannot be provided by change
"advocates" or "agents" as they serve a leader's objectives.
Only the leader -- the legitimizing SPONSOR of the change --
can provide that commitment and clarity.
When the leader has clarity of the objective in his mind, he
more effectively communicates it to followers, as well as opponents.
(In democratic politics, it's very hard to be clear with one
group -- allies -- while sugarcoating your objectives for foes.)
The opponents will attempt to deride this clarity by questioning
the credibility or motivation of the leader; they'll also try
to redefine his or her goals so their resistance has more potential
for success.
Seeing this back and forth, give and take in real time, supporters
are emboldened because they always know where they are going.
They see the leader undistracted and not swaying to those attempts
to undermine his motivations.
Reagan’s death prompts us to look at these qualities he possessed
as a leader. But we are also studying a few other democratic
leaders -- LuLa, Fox and hope to have conversation with those
close to them as we look for additional models of successful
vision and commitment.
The list below, which we
subscribe to, is from:
Managing at the Speed of Change
by Darryl Conner (NY: Villard, 1992)
Requirements for a "committed sponsor" of
change:
POWER -- the organizational power to legitimize the change with
targets.
PAIN -- a level of discomfort with the status quo that makes
change attractive.
VISION -- a clear definition of what change must occur.
RESOURCES -- a thorough understanding of the organizational
resources (time, money, people) necessary for successful implementation
and the ability and willingness to commit them.
THE LONG VIEW -- an in-depth understanding of the effect the
change will have on the organization.
SENSITIVITY -- the capacity to fully appreciate and empathize
with the personal issues major change raises.
SCOPE -- the capacity to understand thoroughly the size of the
group to be affected by the change.
A PUBLIC ROLE -- the ability and willingness to demonstrate
the public support necessary to convey strong organizational
commitment to the change. A PRIVATE
ROLE -- the ability and willingness to meet privately with key
individuals or groups to convey strong personal support for
the change.
CONSEQUENCE-MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES -- preparation to reward promptly
those who facilitate acceptance of the change or to express
displeasure with those who inhibit it.
MONITORING PLANS -- the determination to ensure that monitoring
procedures are established that will track both the transition's
progress and problems. A
WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE -- the commitment to pursue the transition,
knowing that a price will most often accompany the change.
PERSISTENCE -- the capacity to demonstrate consistent support
for the change and reject any short-term action that is inconsistent
with long-term change goals.
Jerome F. Climer
7 June 2004
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