As I sit down for an executive coaching session or to talk with a CEO about his/her senior team, one of the most asked questions is ”How can I be an effective leader in rapidly changing environments?”
Organizations and teams are expected to manage a large, continual flow of current and new demands. Some leaders thrive in this situation while others just get swamped, failing to stay above water.
How do leaders effectively create a sense of confidence and accomplishment amid such change?
The reality of more frequent workplace change is undeniable. Leaders that find focus instead of confusion within constant change learn to ride the waves instead of fight them. They use an approach that encourages choice and accountability, versus allowing the multitude of changes to overwhelm and stifle them.
A Four-step process:
Using a four-step prioritization process, change leaders can replace feelings of doom with their own sense of control. Armed with the right training, tools, and mindset, leaders will learn to welcome new changes, including changing strategies, and avoid reaching for a life preserver just to stay afloat.
Here are the four steps leaders can use to manage constant change. Each step also identifies how to avoid change traps along the way. Some of these points below were inspired by Bill Pasmore’s book Leading Continuous Change.
1. Compare Importance (do not assume importance)
Too often the first misguided step in responding to something new is to assume the change is automatically important and must be done.
It usually sounds like this: “How can I do this with everything else going on? I’m already overloaded!”
However, there is a different way to respond, and it sounds like this: “This new idea is interesting and looks like we may need to pay attention to it. I want to compare this with other things that we have going on. We can then decide how much time and effort we should put into it.”
It is key to evaluate the true importance and impact of the change before reaching possibly exaggerated or misinformed conclusions. Smart leaders step back and have a process for evaluating the first sighting of the change. They weigh the change against everything else and then decide on the next steps.
2. Gather Data (do not deny choices)
Navigating change requires gathering additional information from internal and external sources. Don’t be afraid to lean into helpful knowledge from those who have professional training and experience with the situation. This will help prevent you from assuming that the existing level of information is already sufficient.
Be careful not to use statements like: “We are too far down the path to change now! or “That would upset our business too much.” This frame of mind can lead to the following:
- Hindering learning opportunities
- Prevent important course corrections
- Lead to myopic decisions
Accepting your present direction without investigating the possible changes that emerge later on can deny important choices, positioning you to fight change instead of embracing it.
3. Create a Team (do not go at it alone)
Assign people to investigate the change. This is in stark contrast to another typical trap: seeking to be the hero and solving the problem on one’s own. Too often, a potential change comes along, and leaders may view it as their opportunity to show the world how smart they are or feel they have a responsibility to fix it themselves.
In this case, a leader may think: “I’ll just have to work harder and figure it out.” This approach of going it alone may work sometimes, but in today’s networked economy, it is closing off valuable resources and potential insights.
The smarter approach is to dedicate a small team to investigating, discussing, and recommending how to look at the change. This team can be responsible for contingency planning and communication and can quickly become subject matter experts to inform future direction and prioritization.
4. Prototype Options (do not use hope as a strategy):
Assign a small amount of capital and resources to enable a test case, an experiment that will fail or succeed fast. Trying something out quickly, especially based on informed and prioritized analysis, is a powerful way to truly learn the potential of something new.
This contrasts with a situation that some organizations succumb to using hope as their strategy. Hope as a strategy sounds like this: “I’m sure we can make it work somehow.”
Having hope for the future is a beautiful thing, but it is not sufficient to provide confidence in changing times to senior leaders, employees, shareholders, and customers. Creating rapid prototyping quickly transforms strategic hope into a plan with clear contingencies and risk management tactics.
Leading change is a key competency for every leader
Changes in the workplace are increasing in frequency and intensity. Successful leaders follow a pattern to help them prioritize and make sense of these daily bombardments. Follow this four-step approach and see your organization ride the waves of change without getting taken out by the undertow!
Are you looking to gain more leadership training or become an expert at navigating change? Connect with us.
