The fear that comes with Change leadership

So you are a leader - and your team is about to experience a negative change that is going to impact them. You know about it and you also know that you have some people in your team who may not react so well.

In fact you know that they will challenge the change, whinge and be disruptive.. so where does that leave your stress levels? Change always brings with it different degrees of stress. To both workers and leaders. When you need to lead your team through a negative change, as the leader it can be more stressful for you than anyone else, not that you can ever say that to your team.  

What are the choices you have?

Yes, know that you always have a choice..

Sure on any given day, just give in to change resistance. But when you 'give in' and crumble in the face of resistance from your team, just know that you are creating inconsistency and this has everything quite frankly start falling apart at the seams when it comes to change. Remember this is simply a fact and I have seen this on many change programs where leaders walk out of a room on the same page but then the story starts getting changed at team level which results in confusion and complications. You don't do your team any favours or yourself, as your colleagues will begin to state the facts that 'he/she shouldn't have said that'. So when you think it's easier to crumble, just remember that is in fact the hardest road to take over the long term.

Building your change leadership resilience

The other choice you have is to build your personal resilience and develop your ability to lead change. A strong change leader is consistent with their approach, and does the following when a perceived negative change impacts their team:

1) State the facts, and be honest. It is amazing how many Managers will avoid the hard truth and not be honest with their teams if the change is negative. While it may have your team react negatively they will respect the truth rather than a sales story.

2) Be empathetic but don't react to people's emotive outbursts. This includes reminding people of the professional boundaries and key values in your organisation if you find people are looking to overstep them.

3) Give your people space to 'process' the change. Nothing is worse than a leader who won't allow time for the team members to process the change. Some leeway is appreciated but once again it is a fine line to tread. After a day or two work needs to continue and a strong leader will also be fearless in reminding their team of that.

4) Don't engage in drama. There is always a separation that needs to happen between leader and team member. If you allow yourself to get enrolled into any team drama's your role as a leader is compromised.

5) Don't confide in your team members. Oh wow I have seen this happen and this is like the parent who wants to be best friends with their kids and tell them all their woes. Confide in your colleagues, sure (other Managers who you consider are friends), but not in your team. If you blur those lines you will pay a price at some stage.

6) Make sure you take time to be kind to yourself. I am just going to call it - even though at the end of every day where your team decides to be on an emotional rollercoaster you will be reaching for a glass of wine or bottle of beer, it is better to stay away from alcohol. It will only increase your tiredness and your own ability to self-regulate your emotions. Exercise, and eat well instead. You will be able to deal with any issues better with a clear head.

These are just some practical tips to strengthening your ability to lead change. Just remember even in the face of a negative change you can still create a bond of trust and respect with your team that will allow them to also become more resilient over time.