The most successful companies are led by people who recognize the need for change and manage it well. As I wrote in previous posts, smart leaders of change communicate effectively, embrace change with optimism, and are authentic.
As change is announced and implemented, people want the straight story—the truthful picture of what’s happening. If the leader has a secret agenda, hidden motives or suppressed information, people lose trust and won’t provide much-needed buy-in. Behind-the-scenes issues eventually become exposed, so it’s simply best to convey everything up-front with your employees.
When Projects Hit a Snag…
This is especially true if the project hits snags. Being open and truthful is the best way to unify the workforce and keep them engaged. People can often handle bad news as long as they’re valued enough to be informed properly and given the chance to respond. As the saying goes, honesty is always the best policy.
An extra measure of leadership humility may be necessary, suggests change expert Bill Hogg. A leader who can admit mistakes, see a need for corrections to the plan and lay this out for their people gains the highest trust and participation in staying the course. Your authenticity diminishes their fear of change.
When this topic comes up with my coaching clients, we discuss the power of encouraging people to offer their expertise to derive solutions or improvements. You see, providing opportunities to fully invest in the change process yields the greatest chances for success.
…Smart Leaders of Change are Prepared
Leaders should be willing and able to handle failures along the way, knowing some will pop up. This is a realistic approach, and a prepared staff can provide the most thoughtful and insightful responses. Change is difficult enough. Being prepared to step in when needed provides a teamwork that can’t be achieved any other way.
A leader’s authenticity in facing adversity, having difficult conversations, conveying their concern for their people and recognizing what needs to be improved makes the change process as rewarding as possible. Your people will grow and have the confidence to take on further changes down the road.
What do you think? What has been your experience as a leader of change? You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
