Leading Through Change
Don't overlook this part
As leaders, we’re constantly making decisions. Setting a new direction is part of our role after all. The decisions we make often mean changes. As leaders, we experience these changes as new beginnings. We see them as a wonderful opportunity. We look forward to their rejuvenating energy. We see only the upside. We forget that new beginnings also bring uncertainty and change for those who weren’t involved in the decision.
The team experiences your beginning as an ending. Endings are confusing. They probably weren’t prepared for it. They may not have wanted it. They may experience it as a loss, especially if they didn’t choose it. People need to process what the ending means. They need to find their place in the new beginning. They worry there won’t be a place for them. That everything will change and they’ll be left behind. Or that the culture they love will be gone.
The other side of our new beginning is a series of question marks for the team. The dissonance between the leader's experience and the team’s experience puts a successful new beginning at risk. Speeding ahead without considering the team’s experience means we may not communicate the shift well. We fail to effectively plan for the change. We risk losing valued team members. We lose the team’s trust.
Here are three types of common changes and how the leader vs the team may experience them.
Leadership change
Leaders
A divisive leader gone, a new one brings opportunity for harmony!
The leadership team is more streamlined, decisions will be easier!
This new leader fills a competency gap, we’re a much stronger team!
The team
Is my job at risk?
Will I be valued by the new leader?
How will the company culture change?
Team change
Leaders
This team configuration better aligns us to meet market challenges!
Communication will be easier and more effective!
Teams will be better distributed among the managers!
The team
Will I be accepted on this new team?
Will my work still be valuable?
Will I like my new manager? Will we get along?
Strategy change
Leader
Narrowing our strategic goals makes us more cost-efficient!
Focusing on this new market will bring more revenue!
This new partnership allows us to pull market share from competitors!
The team
What happens to my existing work?
Will they need my expertise? Is there a place for me?
Do I have confidence in the new direction?
Change is ever-present, navigating it is essential to your role. Recognizing that your lens is not always the same as the team's is critical for successful change. A leader’s new beginning can feel like an ending for the team. Pause to have empathy for how the team will experience it. This interlude allows you to be intentional about how you approach and message it.
Thinking of yourself as an experience designer can help. See the new beginning as an experience. What kind of ride do you want the team to have?
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*Many thanks to Lar Van Der Jagt who gave invaluable input on this edition.