Best Practices to Implement Change APTA Early Career

Best Practices to Implement Change APTA Early Career Program Class of 2016

Introduction Lani Lee Ho Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (San Jose, CA) Teri Marsh HNTB Corporation (Bellevue, WA) Michelle Senatore San Mateo County Transit District (San Carlos, CA) John Urgo Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (Oakland, CA)

Project Methodology Interviews with Senior Management: 3 GM/CEO/Executive Directors, 6 Executive Officers, 6 Directors/Managers Key questions: What are the challenges you’ve encountered when initiating change or being a part of a change at your organization? What strategies or best practices do you recommend for implementing change? Key impressions from interviews: Allowed for open-ended conversations An insightful and inspirational experience

Why Things Don’t Change? ● Leadership ● Personnel ● Partner agencies/Stakeholders ● Regulatory ● Financial constraints ● Poor planning

10 Best Practices to Implement Change Treat change as a process with evolving stages. Best practices before making a change: 1. Look before you leap. Do your homework. Plan. 2. Gain trust. Establish credibility through listening. Find common threads. 3. Invest in talking with people, set up focus groups, show that opinions matter. 4. Be aware of your view from the balcony. Meet face-to-face, in safe places. 5. Encourage passion in others. Be a cheerleader for change.

10 Best Practices to Implement Change Best practices during and after: 6. Be transparent and communicate openly. 7. Remain calm. Maintain composure and confidence. Act with intent. 8. Provide necessary training and resources. 9. Acknowledge roadblocks and reassess. Engage differently. Move on. 10. Communicate success and show appreciation.

Synergy in Community Change ● Public agencies + private consultants/companies + advocacy groups = ? ? ● We’re all in this for the benefit of the community ● Ideas: ○ Break the mold with new ideas - P 3 funding, etc. ○ Practice mutual respect - we’re partners in this ○ Organizations like American Council of Engineering Companies ● Example: ORCA Lift

Conclusion ● Interview Opportunities ● Take-aways for Best Practices: Communication, communication Empowerment Follow-up ● Our thoughts: Gain trust Training and resources Transparent Communication Show appreciation Bridging the gap in change implementation