Who will you 'be' when leading change in 2019?

The beginning of every year represents a new opportunity to do things differently. To grow and challenge yourself in a new way. As a change specialist or someone who is interested in change leadership and management to grow means to self reflect and learn more about human behaviour in relation to change. And you will grow the most by questioning your own responses to change. In change leadership there is one question to ask over and over again as you lead teams, which ultimately will make you a better leader and achieve better results.

This question is 'who am I being in this change?'. The 'how to lead change' will then flow from this. But the insights you achieve by asking 'who am I being?' are powerful.  When I am responsible for leading change and find myself unsettled by changes taking place (after all I am only human), I ask myself 'who am I being in this change for my team?'

This one question helps me be a better leader, as I can choose to modify my approach to get better outcomes with my team. Here are some things to consider when you ask that question and what you may need to shift to continue to grow as a leader.

1. Are you as afraid of the change as your team is? Now not many people would admit this when change is taking place, especially if you are a Manager or Executive leader, however the best leaders can reflect on this when they feel personally challenged when change takes place. If you are uncomfortable, angry, feeling hard done by, then these are some signs as to the fear that underlies your response to the change. Some changes such as restructures immediately generate fear due to the uncertainty and the threats that are posed.

The change may mean you lose 'power', that someone else is in control - not you. And your initial response may be 'this is not ok by me' and yet you are being asked to lead others through the change. So who needs to resolve this fear of not being in control or the fear that you are 'losing' something in this change? You do. Sit with the change and what it means, find solid ground that allows you to be more comfortable with it, and then work with your team through the same process.

2. Are you excited by the change? That is a good place for you to be. When you are positive about a change, your team can engage with that. It is easier to express the passion and excitement from the change and share that with your team. 

3. Are you being considerate enough of where your team is at? I know of leaders who criticise those who are negative towards change. They lack empathy and don't give any time for their team to express how they feel, they just insist on compliance. If you are such a leader I ask you to allow some breathing space for your team members and be respectful of their process. Of course over time, it is important for the team to be aligned, however it may take a little more time for some than others. The important thing is that you are being open and respectful through the process.

4. Are you being inspirational enough? Inspiring others is a positive way to lead through change. Discussing opportunities, identifying strengths and empowering those strengths can really help your team embrace change and feel inspired by it.

The most important activity you can ever do as a leader of change is self reflect as to where you are at in response to the change, and then support your team to do the same. This can decrease the time it will take to find 'stable ground' again and allow everyone to move forward in an empowered way.

Want to stay in touch? Join us on LinkedIn.