Change is no longer a defined period with an end date, it is an ongoing process of multiple transitions throughout our lives. In fact, it has become the operating environment we now live in. Whether this is personal change such as caring for elders, health concerns, moving home, living in a new country or work changes such as restructures, economic uncertainty and evolving customer expectations, the one constant is learning how to thrive through change and enable others to as well.
I have been increasingly curious about my own reactions to change and what simple strategies leaders can take for their teams to thrive in the uncertainty that life brings. In this blog we explore some simple strategies.
Leading through change starts with you
We know that teams will take their cues from the leaders around them. Consider the 3-5 simple acts that show your team the ways in which you manage uncertainty, examples could include:
- Devoting parts of team meetings or 1:1’s to reflecting on failures and how you are learning from them.
- Sharing your emotion with the team eg: when you are feeling overwhelmed and how you deal with this.
- Sharing your learnings as you move through change, rather than just at the end.
- Frequently asking what the team needs and letting them know what you need.
- Showing the team that reflection time is just as important as doing the work.
Reframe change from a threat to an opportunity
This is about ensuring we acknowledge the fear and how uncomfortable change can be, this is not about trite, positive words when we are in that zone. This is about honest, affirmative, reframing that can help us to see things from a different situation. The more we can reframe what feels scary the more we can thrive.
Focus on safety
By consistently creating a psychologically safe environment, you demonstrate that the team can feel safe to explore what feels uncomfortable. We have all had managers who only want to hear the positives, this can create a lack of safety.
Examples might include, starting a team meeting with asking the team the “uncomfortable” question, the one that everyone wants to know but isn’t saying. By you offering to talk about the metaphorical “elephant in the room” and sharing that you don’t yet know the answer or that you share what you can, the team start to create more safety.
Take this same example where you are asked about a difficult topic and you shut the conversation down, the team learn that it isn’t welcomed or valued to share how they feel. Small acts create safety and the team are usually watching the leader subconsciously for clues, to understand if it is safe enough to navigate the change and explore it together.
Talk more, control less
Whilst leaders need to set the vision and direction for the team in times of change, they don’t need to control exactly how to get there. By experimenting with and using curious questions, being genuinely open to your team’s perspectives, control is shared amongst the group rather than being directed only from the top. Example questions might include:
- If you were being completely honest what do you think is the biggest challenge we have right now with this change?
- What am I missing in my approach?
- What is working well?
- What needs to change?
- How can I support better or in a different way?
Be explicit about expectation
In coaching sessions, I see first-hand how people are not always clear about the direction. Leaders sometimes think they have been explicit about the expectations and direction yet have not checked that people are clear. I always encourage the power of three, most of us need more than one conversation to truly get behind change, a new idea or a new way of operating.
Another way of putting it, when leading through change, it is important to “give attention” to others, ask them what they need, check in and ask what their understanding is, align with them and provide direction when they are not as clear.
Recognise the needs of high performers
For the high performers in the team, they often want a good mix of the following:
- Involvement
- Autonomy
- Coaching not directing
- Being informed as well as engaged with
- Be part of the change not “done to”
- Be listened to
In summary
As you lead through change, it is not about eliminating the uncertainty or feelings associated with it, it’s about enabling people to engage with the change and perform within it. Leaders who provide clarity, direction, attention and psychological safety will be remembered way after the change has been embedded, they are the leaders people want to follow.
If you would like support with leading your team through change get in touch to see how 1:1 leadership coaching sessions can support you.