In Hacksaw Ridge, Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector becomes a war hero after saving over 75 men from a bloody battlefield and leading troops to victory…while refusing to hold a gun or fight.
It’s a moving story, reminding us of the good in human nature and the additional power that teams have when members focus on caring for each other first.
It’s also a great analogy to describe the role of a change manager- whose job it is to look after people in order to successfully deliver transformation.
While program managers are focussing on delivering initiatives to time and budget, change managers are running the boundaries, spotting the gaps and monitoring risks to individuals. They assist overworked SME’s, time-poor sponsors, confused end-users and stretched program managers to get safely over the line and back to a new normal. Most importantly, their rescue efforts help programs achieve much better, more sustainable business benefits.
Despite Doss’ best attempts to promote his worth, it was only when he saved many lives and became the hero, that army leadership finally understood the value of his work.
With ever decreasing budgets, change management faces the same challenge in explaining its’ worth to transformation leaders. Perhaps all could benefit from watching Doss’ efforts in Hacksaw Ridge before any reductions to change are made.
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