LEADING CHANGE
REACTING TO CHANGE IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE
Change is exciting. Change is daunting. Change is necessary. Change is unpredictable.
Change is positive and change is negative. The only true constant about change is that it is
inevitable. How you deal with that change is directly related to your success as a leader.
LEADING
CHANGE
REACTING TO CHANGE IN A
LEADERSHIP ROLE
TALKING
ABOUT
CHANGE
"Change is the law of
life and those who look
only to the past or
“JUST BECAUSE YOU’VE ALWAYS DONE IT
THAT WAY DOESN’T MEAN IT ISN’T
INCREDIBLY STUPID”
Change happens. That’s a fact. It can be a good thing or a bad thing.
Sometimes even both. It’s not whether or not change will happen (pro
tip: it will). It’s all about how we as leaders, deal with it.
present are certain to
miss the future."
— John F. Kennedy
CHANGE IS DIFFICULT
"Only the wisest and
Change isn’t the exclusive domain of leaders. It happens to everybody
at every level. It can be hard on everyone. There will be plenty of
opposition to initiatives that you create to induce change. People are
intrinsically afraid of change. With change comes uncertainty.
Enabling change is about fostering a positive environment, focusing on
the small things and managing communication. You create small wins
and build on those wins to bring about the change that you want.
stupidest of men never
change."
— Confucius
DEALING WITH CHANGE
How we deal with change is how we set ourselves apart as leaders.
The concepts listed below are loosely based on the eight guiding
principles of “Leading Change” written by John P Kotter. I’ve modified
the principles to fit into a leadership realm such as Penn State.
MOTIVATE THE TEAM (AND YOURSELF)
People tend to look for the path of least resistance. When it comes
time to decide, most will look for the short-term gain. If you can offer
the team some short-term easy wins, often referred to as “low hanging
fruit” it will allow you to promote a positive atmosphere and create an
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experience that motivates and inspires people to become part of your initiative.
CREATE A COALITION
Building a team of people who have a common goal is a great way to build momentum for your
initiative. If you gather together a group of people with whom there is a shared trust and vision, you will
establish a powerful force that can help you obtain your objectives. Giving the people in this coalition
ownership over various components can create even more momentum. Often change initiatives have
too many moving parts, that is, there are too many key decisions to be made for only one individual to
manage. The coalition spreads these decisions over a larger surface, thereby giving them a greater
chance of success. This coalition should also have individuals at higher levels of the organization.
These people may already be the established leaders of your area which will help to lend credibility to
your cause.
CREATE A VISION
Creating a clear concise vision as to the goals of the change can help bring clarity to the your
endeavor. It is a lot easier to communicate the task at hand. Also with a clear vision, it can be a lot
easier for those of which change is expected to understand the end goal and what their part is in the
bigger picture. This can overcome resistance to the change. Take the time to sit down and map out
the objectives of your initiative and how it fits. Make the goal understandable. If at all possible, make it
a goal that can be used as a rallying point. Whereas making a better product may be ok, striving to be
the best maker of a particular widget is something that people can get behind. Make the vision clear
and concise, but don’t leave out details that can be essential in helping people understand, and thus
buy into, your ambition.
COMMUNICATE THE VISION
Having a clearly defined vision won’t be very effective if you don’t communicate it successfully. Starting
a campaign of communication early on can encourage others to join in your quest. If a vision is
communicated poorly or not communicated very often, it gives the sense that it isn’t all that important.
Another problem people often make is communicating only from their level upwards, at the peer level or
perhaps one level lower. This relies on those around you to spread the message. If this is indeed an
important message, consider a taking your message to the masses. Organize a series of sessions
designed to spread the word about your initiative. Think of it as an advertising campaign. The more
people hear of your initiative, the more it tends to lend it an aura of importance.
When communicating across different levels you don’t need (or want) to change your message but you
might want to change the delivery. One idea to change the delivery, but keep the message is to create
a relatable analogy that helps a particular audience understand how the change that you propose might
affect them.
Use different mediums to deliver your message. While an email campaign might get the message
across, consider spreading your message in an in-person speech or presentation. This will have the
added benefit of allowing you to gauge the temperature in the room. If people don’t quite understand
your message, you may be able to tailor it for future communication thus preventing misunderstandings
and generating greater buy-in.
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Repeat your message often. Not only will thorough, consistent communication get the word out, it
keeps rumor and innuendo from undermining any progress that you might have. If things are clearly
explained, it keeps misunderstandings at bay.
Your behavior towards your message will help foster good communication. When people see that their
leader is following the vision it sends a clear message that he/she is engaged and actively committed to
the mission of the change initiative.
EMPOWER YOUR TEAM
The team of people that will be responsible for helping to achieve your vision of change can quickly
become your greatest asset. Empowering them can become the gateway for enabling change. People
who genuinely feel that they are a part of the solution or change are more likely to be evangelists for
your ideas. Creating buy-in for people will give them a greater sense of ownership in the initiative. If
they have ownership, they tend to see the initiative as more of “their” initiative. They will help you
spread the word and create a generally more positive attitude surrounding the initiative. This is where
communication becomes essential. If you empower others and they help you spread the word, you
want it to be the right word.
If training is essential to enable the change, consider professional development for those involved.
Aligning the skillset of your team will eliminate some of the barriers to a successful outcome.
LOOK FOR THE SMALL WINS
If you are trying to implement large-scale change, consider breaking the initiative down in to smaller
portions. These smaller projects are something that can be achieved more easily. This will give you
and your team some successes with which to grab ahold. These successes can be combined and will
give your intiative as a whole, more momentum.
These smaller initiatives can also be used as a barometer to keep watch over the larger initiative. You
can use the progress to track your vision. This will help you determine whether you need to tweak the
vision or perhaps create some new communication initiatives.
Smaller wins can be used to illustrate the effectiveness of the change and create a positive message.
It would also help make it more difficult for people to block or resist the change.
Short-term wins play an important role in your initiative.
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Provide validation for your vision. They show that you’re heading in the right direction.
They provide a reward for the people involved with your initiative. They can be held up as
accomplishments for those helping to move the greater initiative forward.
They help you fine-tune the mission and the message. They offer data with regards to the
status of your initiative.
Keeps leadership on board. It offers evidence that you are on the right track when it comes to
vision and communication.
They provide momentum. It allows those that may have been waiting in the wings the incentive
to hop on board.
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CONSOLIDATE THE GAINS/INCREASE THE MOMENTUM
Even with positive outcomes and short-term wins those who might have been in opposition to your
proposed change will still be out there. Focusing on your short-term accomplishments and wins helps
to keep opposition to your initiatives underground. It helps provide the data that you are on the right
track. It also makes it harder for opposition to affect the outcome of your change.
Keeping on track and bringing more people around to your initiative is key to getting more buy-in. More
buy-in can mean more support and more short-term wins. Keeping this momentum going will help
achieve the overall initiative.
ASK QUESTIONS
As you work through your vision for change always ask questions. This will help you to keep on track
and perhaps more importantly, let you know whether those around you think you are on the right track.
The greatest ideas to help achieve your goals might come from someone that you least expected.
SUMMARY
Change is hard and it is inevitable. Embracing change can be a positive thing. Any good change
initiative must be one that is constantly monitored and tweaked. Always be aware of where you are on
your road to change.
Creating small wins and motivating people by empowering them will create a positive atmosphere
where change can thrive. A well-organized initiative with opportunities for short-term victories can be
capitalized upon to provide incentive and motivation. This will help keep the initiative on track and
opposition at bay.
Being a catalyst for change is part leadership and part management. Only by pairing the two with the
right mix, can you ultimately be successful.
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