Leading in Times of Change

Change can be scary because it is full of unknowns. You want to keep things the way they are even if they aren’t the best, because you already know what you are dealing with. It is natural to feel that way.

What if you could shift the way you think about change and not see it as scary, but exciting? I found this quote from Joyce Meyer that made me think about how change could be perceived differently. She said, “Don’t be afraid of change, because it is leading you to a new beginning.”

This is the mindset that a leader will need to adopt when a big change is coming. They will have to go through this process of shifting their mindset first before communicating with their team. They know that you can’t reach a new beginning if you don’t let go of what you have now. They know that without doing something different, there won’t be growth. In order to go through big changes and be there for their team, leaders will need to look to the future and keep that vision in place for their team.

How to Lead in the Midst of Change

One of the biggest stresses that anyone in an organization can go through is when there are going to be layoffs or reductions. You walk into work one day and your world is turned upside down. Your first thought is, “Will I have a job when this is all over?” Unfortunately, when you are the leader, you have no time to dwell on that because your focus has to be on your team.

In my experience, communication is the most important thing to focus on during a time of change. Set the stage for trust immediately and establish the communication that you will provide. Take time at each staff meeting and during one-on-one meetings to do the following:

• Be as transparent as possible and share with your team what you can.
• Ask them questions about how they are doing and what they are hearing from others. They need to know that you care about them.
• Let them ask questions of you. Tell them that you will find out more information if you don’t have the answers. Always come back with a response, even if it is that you asked and there are no answers yet.
• Help them see that what they are going through and learning during this change is beneficial whether they stay or go somewhere else. This can help them stay focused on what they need to work on during the change.

The company line will always be it is “business as usual” until the notifications officially happen. As the leader, you know that there is work to be done, but there is also a tremendous amount of stress that people are going through. The team is looking to you for how you respond. They need someone who is trustworthy, calm, and isn’t panicked. Your role is to help them navigate the change and regardless of what happens and come through it in the best way possible.

Leading Change for Yourself

Many times these types of changes are driven by people at much higher levels in the organization than you are. You have no say in what will happen, when it will happen, and may not have a say in who is impacted. You are just asked to execute it. This means that you will most likely know about the change way before your team knows. Every day you will have to pretend that nothing is going on and everything is just business as usual in front of your team. It is the worst feeling ever.

Although challenging to know ahead of the team, at least you are able to deal with the change yourself and begin to accept it before having to share it with them. When you find out at the same time as your team, they don’t know that you didn’t know in advance. The team assumes you have been in on it, simply because you are a leader.

You are the face of the organization to your team. This is not an easy position to be in because sometimes you don’t always have the time to deal with what is going on in advance. Change may be thrown at you and you are expected to manage it in real-time.

My advice is to meet with your peers who are going through the same thing as you are on a regular basis. That may be in one-on-ones or as a group. You need an outlet to be able to talk about what is going on, learn more information and continue to process it for yourself. It helps to have others who are there in the trenches with you and understand the situation.

The bottom line is that you are not alone. It won’t be easy, but be kind to yourself and know that you will get through this change. This is a part of being a leader and you will be able to make the difference for people going through the experience by learning how to manage change for yourself.

Susan M Barber, President of Susan M Barber Coaching & Consulting, LLC, works with individuals, teams, and organizations to build skills that leaders need to attain breakthrough results. Her passion for coaching and leadership development is driven by seeing the transformation of leaders as they reach far beyond their own ideas of success. She continues to drive custom programs for groups that want to make changes in their careers to become more powerful leaders.