Today began the 'Making Change Happen' module of our IMBA program. A week of team work to solve a change management real life challenge, prepared by the consulting firm ATKearney and IE.
So, even while there was a briefing about part A of the case, with a great video featuring the IE staff members doing a role play, and a short introduction to how change management is handled at ATKearney, the part which I most enjoyed today was the opening address by our Keynote speaker.
Mr. Frederico Tejera, CEO of NH Hotels, with rich previous experience with Disney and P&G, was the keynote speaker of the day and he started his address by getting right into what change management is, how he has handled it previously and is addressing it currently.
He did mention a couple of books and had some slides on theory of change management, but was quick enough to say that, "this is all what you find in books anyways, so let me not say it here, as I won't be adding any value then". The message was clear - No bullshitting and jargon talks with this guy :-)
I liked a couple of themes he acquainted us with today.
"Change cannot be fake. It has to be honest" He then shared some past experiences explaining these concepts.
"You cannot bring change by giving speeches. you need to show people concrete steps taken for bringing the change, may it be change in working capital allocation or may it be change of marketing mix."
Point duly noted :-)
Frederico was concise in his address and at the same time made sure he addressed us in the right direction. He also connected with the audience and kept them engaged by throwing challenges at us and asking us how we would have handled some of the situations he had faced in his past experience.
All the great skills we learned in communication skills class were demonstrated by Frederico today.
During the QnA, it was interesting to see him comfortably answering all questions including the one where someone posed a question about quality of NH hotels and whether "he knows his products". Frederico gave a convincing reply without any hesitation.
Another such reply which I found interesting was "It is not the crisis that is changing our business [of hotels]. It is the internet. People no longer go to travel agents and pick brochures. They search online and book accordingly. Crisis is never bad, as it helps us to put things in their rightful place."
Before concluding today's post, I would also like to mention this one quote by him, which he emphasized a couple of times, and stated that he believes in it the most.
"Change management is no longer a limited-time-period thing. Today, change is everywhere and change is needed everyday for any organization to survive and compete and stay ahead. Change management has now truly become life management"
So, even while there was a briefing about part A of the case, with a great video featuring the IE staff members doing a role play, and a short introduction to how change management is handled at ATKearney, the part which I most enjoyed today was the opening address by our Keynote speaker.
Mr. Frederico Tejera, CEO of NH Hotels, with rich previous experience with Disney and P&G, was the keynote speaker of the day and he started his address by getting right into what change management is, how he has handled it previously and is addressing it currently.
He did mention a couple of books and had some slides on theory of change management, but was quick enough to say that, "this is all what you find in books anyways, so let me not say it here, as I won't be adding any value then". The message was clear - No bullshitting and jargon talks with this guy :-)
I liked a couple of themes he acquainted us with today.
"Change cannot be fake. It has to be honest" He then shared some past experiences explaining these concepts.
"You cannot bring change by giving speeches. you need to show people concrete steps taken for bringing the change, may it be change in working capital allocation or may it be change of marketing mix."
Point duly noted :-)
Frederico was concise in his address and at the same time made sure he addressed us in the right direction. He also connected with the audience and kept them engaged by throwing challenges at us and asking us how we would have handled some of the situations he had faced in his past experience.
All the great skills we learned in communication skills class were demonstrated by Frederico today.
During the QnA, it was interesting to see him comfortably answering all questions including the one where someone posed a question about quality of NH hotels and whether "he knows his products". Frederico gave a convincing reply without any hesitation.
Another such reply which I found interesting was "It is not the crisis that is changing our business [of hotels]. It is the internet. People no longer go to travel agents and pick brochures. They search online and book accordingly. Crisis is never bad, as it helps us to put things in their rightful place."
Before concluding today's post, I would also like to mention this one quote by him, which he emphasized a couple of times, and stated that he believes in it the most.
"Change management is no longer a limited-time-period thing. Today, change is everywhere and change is needed everyday for any organization to survive and compete and stay ahead. Change management has now truly become life management"
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