My holiday was fantastic. Switzerland’s scenery was breathtaking and the mountain air refreshed me for my next challenge – engagement.

I am just about to hold the first of three all-day events with a variety of stakeholders. The aim of the first day will be to agree the current stroke pathway across the city.

I’m quite anxious about it, in a positive way. I desperately want it to go well – for everyone to be keen to work together and as enthused as I am about the project. I hope we will also find a shared motivation to see us through any potential hurdles.

I have been thinking about whether I should do some hearts and minds stuff on the day. Those who work in service improvement are always telling us that it doesn’t matter how good the solution is. If the people who are asked to work with the new solution aren’t behind it conceptually, and they haven’t thoroughly bought into the process of change, then the redesign will not be successful over a sustained period of time.

Often great projects fail after implementation because the enthusiastic project leader leaves the project and along with them goes the momentum, the spotlight and the determination to make it last.

Hmm…so, on the basis that I buy into this theory myself, what to do? I don’t want to insult the intelligent people who will be there with a load of management speak that might suggest that they are not there for all the right reasons. But I do want to challenge them so that any doubts they may have, or reluctance they feel, comes out into the open and is addressed.

I decide to spend a little time during the day on ‘What will stop us changing things for the better?’ This may help to uncover some of the people issues as well as the more easily identifiable tangibles. Hopefully, the output of that session will assist me in working out how to tackle potential problems, as well as giving me a little time to find a change agent-type professional to help me over the coming months. Any volunteers?