Be a Great Change Leader

Every successful organization has experienced CHANGE. With the business environment and its threats constantly evolving, it follows that the inability to change prevents success. Of course, change doesn’t happen on its own. Effective change not only must be managed, it must be led.

As change expert Edith Onderick-Harvey explains in Forbes’, Developing A Change Leader Mindset, managing change is not the same as leading change. Change management uses tools and processes to conduct projects. Leading change involves setting a course, establishing a culture and motivating your people to follow. Successful leaders are those who lead change, not if, but when it is required.

Considering that over sixty percent of all major corporate change initiatives fail, executives will benefit from enhancing their change leadership approach. Great leaders build on five fundamental pillars of change, the first being vision.

Set a Vision

A compelling vision is what underpins all successful change. It not only sets the change initiative in motion, but it sustains its life during execution and long after its implementation. The leader’s vision is founded on an assessment of the way things are, points out the things that need to change and paints a picture of the way things need to be.

Corporate change may involve new products, new markets or a new company image. It may pertain to expansion or downsizing. It may be as basic as upgrading policies, procedures or systems.

The leader’s vision adequately explains the need for change by helping people understand the risks of maintaining the status quo and the benefits of making changes. The staff needs to be drawn together in unity, to not only collectively accept the change, but play an active role in it. This is where coaching & consultation can be invaluable.

Other managers are commissioned to promote the change and engage their people in the process. This involves extra group communication, where things are explained, people are heard, and their concerns are acknowledged. A collective spirit of seeking solutions is critical.

The vision-setting stage is where a leader is especially focused on being credible and available to build as trusting an environment as possible.

What do you think? How do you set your vision when leading change? I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me here at Leslie@GetCourageous.com and on LinkedIn