learning & change

Change Leadership Practices

Change is tough. As a leader, steering yourself, your team, or your organisation through it can feel like trekking up a steep mountain blindfolded. Why? Change disrupts our comfort zones. We fear the unknown and resist leaving what’s familiar. Plus, getting everyone on board is a challenge. But change is necessary for survival. This article explores five stances a leader can take to accelerate change adoption.

Explore and Empathise: 

Explore with empathy and understand how the change impacts others. Take time for the people side of change, and you’ll build practical solutions. Change isn’t just about shifting processes and structures; it’s about people. Effective leaders take the time to understand how change impacts individuals personally. By stepping into the shoes of those affected by change, leaders can tailor their support to ease the transition, fostering trust and buy-in.

  • Uncover drives: Get curious about what motivates your stakeholders. The highest quality product or most efficient process is useless if no one buys in. For change to stick, we must design experiences that solve problems for real people.
  • Raise issues: Spot sensitive issues and explore them respectfully. Don’t shy away from discussing tricky topics. Have the courage to explore sensitive issues with your stakeholders, but remember to bring respect and compassion.
  • Listen deeply: Tune in and stay open to learn about the crucial issues. Ask questions, then listen deeply, even to the feedback we don’t like. Resist the urge to justify or sell. Letting go of preconceived ideas can help open quality, two-way dialogue.
  • Build empathy: Shift your viewpoint and connect with other experiences. Immerse yourself in your stakeholders’ world and unearth new design challenges that are key to lasting change.
  • Map perspectives: Build a pool of alternative views to keep the discussion fresh. As we build a picture of how the change might play out, it is vital not to become biased or stuck in a single way of thinking. Bring different perspectives into the discussion to keep things fresh.

Imagine and Prototype: 

Visualise your desired future and open it up to others with courage and honesty. Stay present and make space to start a meaningful dialogue. 

Leaders must dare to dream of a better future and have the courage to share that vision with others. Leaders must create prototypes of their vision, transforming ideas into reality. By leading with honesty and transparency, they motivate others to join them on the path towards change.

  • Share vision: Create and share a compelling vision to inspire action. Build a clear idea of what you want the future to look like and find a way of sharing this with others. As a leader, you need to have a point of view, so work out what yours is.
  • Be honest:  Be clear and direct even when you can’t share everything. Even when the news is bad, it’s better to be fast and fair than to beat around the bush. People respect honesty and transparency, so be upfront and transparent.
  • Stay present: Be mindful and stay open and flexible in pressured situations. Sharing your vision takes courage. Be aware that the whole point is to open a dialogue. Notice people’s reactions, stay in the moment and don’t get distracted. 
  • Don’t react: Allow others to express their concerns, doubts, and anxieties. Remain calm, hold the space, and allow others to process. Ensure the non-negotiables are clear and understood and determine what needs to be decided. 
  • Enrol others: Build on shared aspirations and develop the next steps together. Ask your people to consider what the future might hold for them. Look out for where stakeholder aspirations overlap and explore these opportunities together. Invite others to create the next steps together. 

Plan and Progress: 

Set out the path and take action to create a sense of certainty.

Change without direction is chaos. Leaders must chart a clear path forward, setting actionable steps and milestones. This roadmap provides a sense of certainty and direction, guiding the collective efforts towards the desired destination. Leaders keep the momentum going through decisive action and unwavering commitment, turning aspirations into achievements.

  • Focus forward: Clarify the direction and communicate with certainty. Focus relentlessly on what matters most, and don’t dilute your efforts. Make sure you are clear about your intentions and communicate them with confidence.
  • Don’t blame: Give quality feedback and ensure expectations are clear. Ensure people understand what is expected of them. When things go wrong, don’t blame. Provide specific and objective feedback around behaviour and performance.
  • Balance demands: Look for ways to build mutual benefit and don’t burn out. Leaders often have competing obligations. Look for ways to build mutually beneficial outcomes for all the players and, importantly, look after yourself. Don’t burn out.
  • Follow through: Don’t overcommit, and always deliver on your promises. Meeting your commitments will build credibility and trust. Don’t promise things outside your scope of influence, but be clear on what you can bring to the situation.
  • Stay positive: Deal with issues quickly, and don’t let them pull you down. Things may not always go smoothly, but try to stay positive and work with others to keep things moving forward. Don’t let problems fester. It is better to deal with issues quickly than to let them pull you down. 

Support and Empower:  

Coach and amplify positive behaviours with curiosity and compassion. Create the conditions for others to thrive in complex and changing times.

Change is a team sport. Leaders must coach and mentor their teams and empower them to take ownership of the change process. By amplifying positive behaviours and fostering a culture of curiosity and compassion, leaders create an environment where innovation thrives, and resilience flourishes.

  • Model curiosity: Hold ideas lightly and make space for others. Be curious and explore how things work. Bring a sense of experimentation to discover which mental models and new practices will serve you best.
  • Seek synergy: Redesign the system to solve multiple problems simultaneously. Look out for opportunities to take actions that support several stakeholders at once. Don’t fall into the trap of missing the forest for the trees. Always look for points of leverage on the broader system.
  • Coach and support: Help people take responsibility for their contribution. Support them to learn, improve and change, but don’t disempower them with micromanagement. Encourage others to take responsibility for their personal change process.
  • Extend trust: Set up the conditions for others to find their way forward. Trust others to perform well and find their way. Set them up for success and then step back to allow them to get on with the task at hand.
  • Amplify positives: Notice opportunities to reward and encourage. Successful change is all about making new habits, which takes practice. When individuals lean into this process and begin practising, make sure you catch it and reinforce it appropriately. 

Embed and Sustain: 

Celebrate change with tenacity and humility. Challenge established conventions, let go of power and stimulate continued growth to embed and sustain your change. The journey of change doesn’t end with implementation; it’s just begun. Leaders must celebrate each milestone with tenacity and humility, acknowledging the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. By embedding new practices into the organisational culture, change becomes more than just a temporary shift; it becomes a way of life.

  • Share power: Disperse decision-making where you can to build capacity. Share responsibility and let others make decisions. This approach builds trust and enables your people to learn more about their impact.
  • Prompt growth: Encourage others to seek out development opportunities. Support individuals in extending themselves and building new capabilities. A growth mindset develops when people are skilled learners, supporting change resilience.
  • Stay focused: Reconnect with the vision and maintain the urgency. Sometimes, as we get closer to our goals, the sense of urgency can dissipate, and progress can stall. Deepen your commitment and keep raising standards together with your team.
  • Challenge norms: Stay humble and hungry and look for where to improve. Constantly create opportunities to improve. Make this practice a habit. Create routines that make it easy to ask why and what if. 
  • Celebrate wins: Mark progress and acknowledge shared values and victories. Take the time to recognise your progress and how much positive change you’ve created. Finding the right ways to recognise effort and performance maintains readiness and momentum.

In conclusion, navigating change requires a delicate balance of vision and action, empathy and decisiveness. By embracing these leadership stances and embodying practical strategies, leaders can weather the storms of change and chart a course towards a brighter future for their organisations and teams.

To find out more about how to upskill your leaders in leading change or for support with your next change project, reach out to us via info@soji.com.au.

Photo by Jackman Chiu on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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