I have in my phone the Gandhi saying: 

'First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.'

I look at it every now and then, to generate that fire in my belly when I lead or support a major transformation program. If you are a Change leader - take heed. You need an appetite and a resilience to lead a big change. You need to believe in it more than anyone else. As when others try to bring you down, when others fight you, you need to keep holding the future vision you have and keep on keeping on. For me, my primary motivation is when the transformation is needed to have the organisation perform better. If I feel the transformation is the right thing to do for customers or for staff (hopefully for both) then nothing can stop me.

This seems very relevant this week. With the protests across the globe after the death of George Floyd. And globally this is an issue - even in Australia. It is important to take a stand and say loudly that racial injustice and hu...

Earlier this year I wrote about managing change in times of crisis in reference to the Australian bushfires. I certainly did not think that just a couple of months later that I would be writing about a global pandemic and the level of change that leaders would need to manage in times such as these. 

These are times that very few in the world have lived through before. Ironically the elderly who are most at risk are the one's who could have lived through similar illness that spread throughout the world in the early 1900's. However in this connected world which has the internet and international travel at the drop of a hat, the circumstances and challenges are VERY different.

So how has your organisation and leadership team responded to these times of continual change? How long did it take for your leaders to be clear on their messaging and make decisions about which path to take - business first or safety first?

How some organisations have responded...

With creativity: there have be...

Happy new year and welcome to 2020. It certainly has been challenging in Australia with the worst bush fires across the country in living memory. It certainly has been a time of crisis. I hope going forward the impact of climate change, which has been incredulously denied by certain political parties will now be discussed with solution brokers coming to the table.

Crisis as a catalyst

Unfortunately sometimes it takes a crisis for change to be embraced. When the pain gets so much that something has to shift. This is very relatable when it comes to introducing change management into an organisation. Financial results (or lack thereof) become untenable for the leadership team. Projects don't deliver well, funding is cut or staff engagement results are at their lowest. All reasons for Change leadership and management to be embraced.

Leadership in times like these 

During this bush fire crisis, there have been some observations about leadership, where certain expectations on some leader...

So you want to explore a career in change? Do you consider yourself to be a 'people person?' Here are five questions you should reflect on before taking the leap:

1. How resilient are you in the face of adversity? In lots of organisations change is not understood or mature as a function. So it can be a hard slog affecting change, influencing and coaching stakeholders on why you are even in the organisation to begin with. Project Managers may challenge you and your professional guidance may be flat out rejected. So you need to be tough, resilient and measured with your approach. 

2. How empathetic are you? The more you can walk a mile in someone else's shoes the better a change manager you will be. If you are simply wanting to tell people what to do, maybe pursue training or another profession. Having compassion and empathy will ensure you take the right approach when people resist the change.

3. Are you willing to learn about yourself to better understand how to facilitate the chang...

Sometimes we can fall into bad habits when working in Change. At times it can be stressful and if these habits creep in your practice it will may compromise your reputation as an effective change manager or as a change leader. 

1. Thinking that people will just do as you tell them.

It makes me laugh when Managers expect their teams to simply do as they say. Many progressive organisations however are showing more emotional intelligence and understanding that people choose who they follow. All people go through an emotional process when any change occurs. A good change leader understands how to support their team through this and engage their people in the change. I won't limit this to just change leaders, as I do hear Change Managers say exactly the same thing. Only in unique organisations where hierarchy is necessary to survive such as in the Police or Military, would the 'people will do as I say' rule exist and apply. 

2. Taking the same approach to change every time 

Every cha...

I know I'm not the only one who has had a crappy boss at one time or another in their career. You know, the one who manages through fear, is unpredictable, and loves 'playing games'. A common response to anyone who dares challenge their somewhat 'interesting' view of the world is to label those employees 'difficult and unappreciative', with repercussions sure to follow. Reporting into managers like this is exhausting.

Suffice to say that throughout my career I am lucky that I have only had a couple who fit this profile. In both cases when staff engagement survey feedback came back accurately reflecting how the team felt, rather than listening and responding, reactions were swift and emotionally driven. 

There were four lessons I took from these experiences:

1) Choose who you wish to follow. In both scenarios I chose to leave. Not through pressure but through choice and a realisation that I wasn't willing to compromise my integrity or values. I wanted to be inspired. I learned that a...

'Every successful organization has to make the transition from a world defined primarily by repetition to one primarily defined by change. This is the biggest transformation in the structure of how humans work together since the Agricultural Revolution.'

– Bill Drayton

Change leadership is now part of the job description of being a people leader. In the fast paced business world where changes are being introduced. Engaging your employees and inspiring them to perform well in a changing environment is a skill. So what are some of the ways you can be an inspiring change leader?

1) Engage your people: Get to know them and who they are. Engaging your staff on the change is not the same as simply cascading key messages and informing your staff of the changes taking place. Ask questions, have the team work on what actions they would like to take to adapt to the change. Work with the project areas or business areas introducing the change to get ahead of the change curve.

2) Communicate r...

The ability for leaders to prioritise is a key skill in today’s business world that Executives need to master, in which to avoid creating a culture of change fatigue. 

Some organisations discuss the need for change resilience, when one of the contributing factors to change fatigue is already within their control through consistent prioritisation practices.

The constant changes of direction due to poor planning, or misalignment of local priorities to strategic priorities can lead staff to feel disenfranchised with the organisations leaders.

So why should leaders keep their people in mind when prioritising work priorities to strategic priorities?

Decision making in the prioritisation process can adversely effect staff morale. It can cause conflict and confusion affecting employee engagement and productivity. Even for the best performers in an organisation it is difficult to feel a sense of loyalty when it seems that the decision makers don't understand the people impacts of their dec...

What would happen to a runner of the 110m hurdles who, if between one hurdle and the next had an official run out and move the next hurdle just that little shorter?

I am going to assume that the athlete would surely stumble with their rhythm being interrupted, probably fall and have to get back up. After dusting themselves off they would have to start again to try and get into a rhythm. That is what it is like in a business if a change is introduced suddenly and poorly.

So what if the athlete was told beforehand of the change at the eight hurdle, and could plan and practice for him or herself in advance, knowing when the change would take place and what impact it would have on his/her stride. Couldn't they then  could work with their coaches (leaders) on how to adapt and still finish the race, hopefully in the top three? 

That is the whole focus and intention of change management and of strong change leadership. A combination of both can decrease the performance 'gap' that may occ...

The answer is so simple it is often never simply stated. The key to better change leadership is YOU. How YOU respond to change, how YOU communicate change, how YOU reinforce change when your staff resist, how YOU can feel easy in a world of uneasiness when major change is afoot and consistent.

Know thyself

The ancient Greeks have been attributed to this saying. The more you know yourself, the easier it is to grow into being a better leader in general and change leader. The more you will be able to communicate authentically and who doesn't like that in their Manager or leader?

The power of emotional regulation

If you communicate confidently and consistently, it makes you a better change leader. This takes emotional regulation to maintain consistency, especially if you have staff who don't deal with change well. Being able to be consistent and supportive takes emotional regulation from you as an individual so you aren't reacting to resistance or even worse being too emotive when comm...