Like all significant change activity, many artwork improvement programmes commence, but not all are successful.
We have learnt many lessons from our involvement in numerous labelling and artwork improvement projects that we believe are key to ensuring success. After keeping momentum in your project, we continue this series of posts of 10 Key Learnings for Artwork Improvement Projects with the topic of ensuring to have a focussed and accountable leadership.
Key Learning 7: The right leadership – Ensure focussed and accountable leadership
We have already mentioned the importance of identifying the right sponsor to champion the change across the organisation for complex programs such as Artwork ones in the Key Learning 2 post . It is also important to have leaders capable to pilot this improvement project through all the challenges present in a cross-functional and cross-organisational change management project. Not only do leaders have to show technical knowledge, they have to be capable of dealing with people elements that are a huge part of a change management project.
Good leaders have to connect across the organisation to promote the Artwork Project to bring visibility and interest. They have to be capable of advocating their project outside of their close circle to engage and influence across the extended organisation to get a broad range of stakeholders on board. This require networking and communications skills to inspire and drive the project to the desired outcomes.
This cannot be achieved alone. In the same order, a leader will build up an effective network of change agents located at all the levels of the organisation that are just as enthusiastic about the project and ready to help deliver it.
The combination of all these qualities allows the leaders to overcome the difficulties and hence deliver superior results.
To help you in your Artwork Improvement Program, you can also find useful information in my book Developing and Sustaining Excellent Packaging Labelling and Artwork Capabilities
Should you have any questions about this or any other of my blogs, or would simply like to request a copy of my booklets, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly on my email.