Six Tips for Leaders who are Managing Change
All progress is the result of change.
But not all change is progress.
Some changes don’t make any sense.
Leaders Managing Change
Managing change is the supreme test of a leader as it requires them to guide their organisation through a major period of adjustment. Whether caused by technology evolutions, customer trends or other drivers, the organisation is under intense pressure to fundamentally transform the way it operates.
The mark of a good leader is to see the change coming and design a strategy that capitalises on its opportunities. Managing change is also the practical way a leader executes the strategy, making decisions in response to day-to-day challenges that arise.
If your organisation is undergoing a period of change, here are our top six tips for leading your organisation through it.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
You did not cause the tough, changing times in your organisation, and could not have foreseen all the transitions coming down the road. The nature of change is unpredictable.
For example, in 1922 the great movie mogul Harry Warner is famous for remarking, “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”
As late as 1973, Ken Olsen, the President of Digital believed there was no reason for anyone to have a computer in their home.
Don’t chastise yourself for not being able to predict or prevent challenges as this will only deflate you. Focus on managing change and motivating your organisation to work through it.
Keep your colleagues’ hopes alive
Leaders who are effective at managing change express an optimistic view of the future. Even during the hardest periods of major transformation. Your colleagues need to know that better days are coming. They need to be motivated to perform the tasks that get them there.
That said, don’t fall into the trap of sugar-coating the situation. Provide a realistic assessment of the obstacles that must be overcome to achieve the required transformation.
Keep everyone informed
Good communication addresses the unsettling nature of transition that can damage productivity. This is particularly important if the organisation is going through a period of downsizing, where levels of uncertainty will run high.
Leaders managing change, take time to minimise the concerns and confusion of colleagues, even if it means sharing bad news. Otherwise, you allow the rumour mill to churn out any number of stories that do nothing but increase stress and decrease motivation.
Your employees have the right to know what is happening. They should know why it is occurring, and what the next steps will be. The certainty of misery is often better than the misery of uncertainty.
Tell the Truth
Truth builds trust, even if the truth is difficult to hear. Nobody likes change and employees need to be taught how to handle change, rather than being temporarily appeased with false reassurance.
If you give employees false hope, they could end up resenting you for it. Furthermore, the next time your organisation announces a major change, employee motivation may take a nosedive.
Reassure employees with your presence
Dr. Bev Smallwood, a leading expert in resilience and recovery, undertook a survey on companies that were dedicated to retaining their best employees. She discovered that up to seventy percent of employee retention is directly linked to management behaviour. Particularly managers who spend time with employees.
Seeing and hearing the leader is important when managing change. And even more so in the new world of greater homeworking. Too often managers or leaders only meet with other senior executives or disappear behind closed doors. Employees need to see and hear their managers, so be as visible as possible and always available for questions.
Cut and simplify work
One of the biggest mistakes, when leaders are managing change, is to cut the number of staff, but not the workload. There comes a point when doing more with less becomes impossible, and the subsequent pressure starts to erode a company’s culture. At this point, people’s resilience begins to fail.
Naturally, you cannot pretend things are the same, but you may be able to restructure and reprioritise. For example, take time to identify and eradicate extraneous tasks, forms, and procedures. AT&T famously did this and cut out six million pages of reports that no one read or needed.
Colleagues can also contribute to the process of managing change. Encourage them to devise new ways to handle the extra workload, which can also serve as a great team motivator. A good exercise is to identify ‘safe shortcuts’ when performing non-critical, routine tasks.
Final thoughts
No one likes to experience unsettling periods of change or suffer the sacrifices required by it. However, good leaders with a proactive approach to managing change and the right leadership skills can make the process as smooth as possible for everyone.
How can training help?
Make sure the leaders managing change in your organisation have the skills to capitalise on opportunities and deal with challenges. Here are some articles that may help:
- Managing change demands close attention to how you communicate and motivate. Discover how the principles of invisible leadership can help you.
- Training is often the first budget to be cut during a difficult period, but this is when you need it most. Rather than reducing your training budget, learn how to get the most out of your Leadership Investment.
- Leaders who are managing change may also benefit from one-to-one executive coaching to optimise their capabilities in specific areas. Learn how to deploy executive coaching for optimal results.
- If your organisation only provides leadership training to senior executives, learn what you could be missing out on by not training your frontline leaders.
Leadership Managing Change
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