Looking for a Change Leadership framework?

Change leadership is critical to create a sense of ownership and has a direct impact on outcomes as a result of a change being introduced. Change leadership frameworks are hard to find and that is because many organisations see good leadership IS being able to lead change well. And capability building is normally the first action taken to respond to this challenge. Whilst training in this area does build an awareness and improves capability but there are other elements that assist in facilitating effective change leadership.

The MVCM Change Leadership Framework covers all elements to be considered when venturing into Change with leaders.

So let's explore them in more depth in no particular order and without one being more important than the other to facilitate effective change leadership.

When leading change, context has to be considered. The context within the organisation in which the change is being rolled out. Context of the organisation within the industry itself in regards to industry challenges and pressures. If we have learned anything from the last couple of years, it is that with the Information age the world is connected and external pressures area also a part of effective change leadership.  After all, every individual in your team, or group has a 'story' outside of work that they bring to work. Understanding the life context of each of your team members will allow you to lead change more effectively as it assists with content when understanding the impact a change may have on the individuals.

Connection is all about 'joining the dots' through connected thinking. The best change leaders are agile leaders (little 'a' agile) who are able to bring different change impacts together and fast, understanding and assessing the risk areas and hot spots of any change. This generates adaptability. For those who have managed or led major transformations, this experience generates a level of connected thinking that is often not recognised. A connected thinker proactively engages with the change and asks questions so they ensure they completely understand the impact. A group of connected thinkers results in stronger teamwork, unity in leadership and faster shared understanding of change impacts. The ability to say yes and especially 'no' is also a sign of a connected thinker when they realise a change isn't aligned with the organisations strategy.

Connecting the change to the purpose of the organisation is also a habit of a good change leader. And connecting with a peer leadership group and aligning in messaging is also not just critical for transformative change but being able to 

Change leaders lead the way in behaviour change. The trade off of being a leader is that while it's nice to have some status in an organisation it also means that everyone is watching you. Whether you like it or not, people are always watching, judging and taking their cue from you. They are based on the foundation of - I listen to what my leader says but I watch more what my leader does! And I observe if there is alignment both among leaders but also from top down. 

A good change leader knows this and the importance of role modelling the change that is taking place. Bringing it to life by recognising the desired behaviours with acknowledgement and calling out old or bad behaviours. is what a good change leader does. This reinforces the change and brings it to life. It is more than spruiking the change and 'holding the line' from an organisations perspective. It is for a leader to also bring their own values of respect and team into the equation. 

The last aspect to talk about is the need for a leader to raise their self-awareness. This will without doubt always result in more effective change leadership. Asking for feedback, collaborating and co-designing change strategies with their team. The best leaders aren't just emotionally intelligent, they are self-aware. They understand that they have beliefs that drive their behaviour both positively and negatively. They are exploring their own emotional reactions to change and rather than project onto others, they are able to emotionally self-regulate.

They will put self-awareness at the centre of their own world, and be willing to learn about who they are, so that they can better understand others and become a better leader. This is key to good change leadership. They know they need to find the positive in the change, and that sometimes that positive may be very slim. But most of all this self-awareness will drive an inherent respect from the leader through to their team, understanding they are human beings first. 

So these are the four key areas to the MVCM Change leadership framework. We will be covering this more in the coming months.