A change can be something as simple as new business cards or as consuming as an acquisition. The change is often seen by executives as an important move to get ahead of aggressive competitors, is not always the case for employees.
Leading through change starts at the top with a level of communication to all levels of the organization.
In many instances the acceptance of change is dependent upon those who are affected by the change having confidence, trust, and faith in those that are introducing or responsible for change to their teams or organizations.
In most cases a leader has a plan that introduces a drastic change in an organization, process, or procedure. What needs to be clear to that leader is that change often leaves people disoriented and in the midst of understanding “what happens to me”, they struggle to understand and apply new ideas,new process or procedures. This is what makes change so difficult; people would prefer to continue in what they understand, and most importantly avoid any action that causes them to move out of their comfort zone.
Leaders must champion any concerns and in some cases change their style of management. When addressing these concerns that often shape business a good leader and use change as an empowering process for employees. The difference between resisted change and empowered change is often down to the way people are treated by their leaders.
One strategy leaders can use to guide their teams and organizations through change is by using a model of adaptive leadership. This style of leadership allows a leader to help people simplify the conflict between the current organizational or personal values and the future state. It creates the conditions for organizations to work through a process of adaptation that often offers a way that engages people in changing and developing a new culture.
Think of people whom you consider to be exemplary leaders--people who led their organizations to greatness. Usually they are the ones who become outstanding keeping everyone focused, and stable in vulnerable and fluid environments. To their teams and organizations they give a sense of surety and what their organizations values are. This is particularly important in times of change or uncertainty. They usually are ones who do not run from change but adopt it as a part of their daily ritual. They favor a culture where management and employee work together to achieve excellence.
Leaders who focus on the future, observing the changing business environment with one purpose become great, and they create great teams. Leaders and teams need to understand the vision of the future. To be truly successful as leaders and teams, we need to embrace and effectively navigate through that change.
A manager roll is to manage the resources and personnel, to execute the business of the organization and this becomes even more critical during changes. There is a business process which involves the mechanics of implementing the change. The process involves creating the vision and leading the change; aligning the individuals and resources to implement the change while identifying obstacles. Ultimately the role of all leaders and members is execution of a vision or plan.
Perhaps the most important step in the process is communication. This should happen often and frequently, yet it is usually the most abused step in any process. Communication is an exchange of information. It needs to be clear, consistent and repeated again and again. The biggest key to the success of any change includes this very important aspect.
Some caution around communication, often leaders make emotional decisions and justify them with business reasons. If you’re not careful as a leader or as part of an organization who supports a new direction you may be emitting feelings that are not conducive to the success of the team or the organization. This can give reason to others to make the change even more challenging.
Organizations that are unable to acknowledge that business is moving in a new direction and that leaders must adopt change will eventually lose their value. More importantly leaders that do not understand that employees seek empowerment and recognition in times of change, instability, or shifts in direction will be left short staffed and struggling.
As leaders we do not run our business as a democracy but rather we should run it as a culture of inclusion, allowing change to be a part of the daily process.
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