Understanding the Main Principles of Change Leadership

Change leadership refers to the process of guiding an organization or team through a period of transition or disruption. It is about more than setting agendas and monitoring workflow—leaders in times of change are tasked with easing concerns, explaining new concepts and generally smoothing out the bumps that come with any organizational evolution.

Change leadership used to be seen as something separate from general leadership, but with the enhanced pace of change nowadays, nearly every leader in every industry often has to navigate new procedures and trends repeatedly. In many cases, all it takes is the right change leadership approach to develop the best path forward for their team.

Stage 1—Preparing for Change

Creating a plan is the first step in any transformation. When it comes to company-wide changes, plans are essential because they keep everyone on the same page. As a leader, it will fall to you to:

• Establish the plan: Even if you are not the only person working on strategies, you’re likely involved with creating at least some of the plans, as they affect you directly. You have the chance to make sure the plans consider and accommodate your staff’s needs.
• Evaluate impacts: How will these changes affect workflow? Will they put you closer to reaching company-wide goals? When you anticipate these impacts from the start, you can warn people of what to expect, allowing them to adjust ahead of time.
• Field concerns and questions: Even if you share your entire detailed plan, people will have questions. Prepare as comprehensively as possible to answer them, and be willing to hear your teams’ thoughts and feelings about the changes. If you open the floor up to them early enough, you can even use their input to influence next steps.

Stage 2—Leading Through Change

Once you confirm your plans, you can start implementing changes step by step. During this time, you may also need to:

• Adapt your team’s approach: When the rest of your company is changing, your workflow will likely need to as well. However, finding the right workflow that balances productivity with staff satisfaction requires a group effort. Talk to your team about what works and what doesn’t, and use their advice to set new standards in your office.
• Introduce training: With new policies, protocols or procedures will come the need for training. Training ensures your team understands what the change is and how to navigate it. This goes a long way in giving your employees the confidence they need to adjust to the change and continue to work efficiently during times of uncertainty.
• Overcome change resistance: Some people may respond negatively to change, and as a leader, it is your responsibility to introduce them to the benefits of your new vision. You may need to clarify how the changes will benefit them specifically or simply model effective change management strategies to show them there’s nothing to be afraid of.

Stage 3—Sustaining Despite Change

Even once business is mostly back to normal, change leaders still have a lot to manage. As your new processes are set into motion, you and your staff will finally have the chance to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. Now more than ever, you should be open to accepting feedback of every kind and willing to make changes where things obviously require more or different support. Keep in mind that these responses are not attacks on your plan, but a joint effort of your entire company to improve operations for all.

Tips for Building Adaptability to Manage Change

Through every stage of your organization’s transformation, the most important skill any leader can have is adaptability. Adaptability is about responding to change as it comes and being willing to adjust your approach accordingly. In this scenario, adaptability may look like:

• Understanding your team’s needs: When change hits, your team’s readiness shifts. Now’s the time to talk to your team. Get feedback on how the change is impacting them, listen to how they’re feeling and ask questions about what they may be struggling with. More likely than not, your team is going to need more guidance and direction during this uncertain time, so be prepared to slow down and walk them through the change, step by step.
• Provide the proper support: Major workforce changes often come with several modifications to the overall workflow. Whether you’re switching over to a new platform or implementing a more refined process, be sure to take the time to offer a clear roadmap to success. By equipping your team with the proper time, resources and training to get familiar with change, learn what’s new and develop any newly required skills, you can set them up for greater success.
• Managing change responses: Change can spark different reactions from different team members. While some may be open to accepting and adapting to change immediately, others may need a little more time, so it’s important for leaders to be able to meet their team members where they are, wherever they may be. Providing those more change-adverse team members with a more reassuring, encouraging and advisory approach can reduce resistance, boost confidence and improve the odds of a successful change implementation.

Become a Better Change Leader With The Center for Leadership Studies

The ability to lead through change is a skill every leader should master. The sooner you can start implementing change leadership practices, the better off you and your staff will be when change inevitably occurs. At The Center for Leadership Studies (CLS), we champion the Situational Leadership® approach through our Situational Change Leadership™ course, which enables leaders at every level and in every industry to help their team feel more confident navigating transformation.

Learn more about our award-winning model and connect with us online to get started today.