Change can be exhilarating. We have just seen the most gender diverse cabinet in Australia’s history sworn into power and a billionaire announce the unprecedented spend of $200bn in 20 years to those in most need.
Within organisations, we’ve seen the rise of empathy and authenticity as sought after leadership qualities and tech transformations opening up customer insights, connections and careers.
It can also be hard. Exhausting in its relentlessness and overwhelming in its quantity. Trump has created a new frontier of global angst, market shifts and supply chain disruptions while businesses learn to adopt AI, review structures and manage wellbeing.
Accenture’s 2024 Pulse of Change Index reported an 183% increase in the rate of change since 2019. While global Gartner research found 77% of HR leaders say their organisation is suffering from change fatigue. Yet organisations and employees must rapidly adapt to succeed.
We work with leaders who have high expectations placed on them to effectively manage the stress of uncertainty and volume of change themselves, while leading others through it with purpose, empathy and optimism. Restructures, new ownership and market shifts are some of the changes our clients are working through.
For leaders, the ability to manage themselves, set a vision and bring others with them is a critical skill that mentors have an important role in developing. Leaders need to help people stay motivated and to embrace the future possibilities of better outcomes and different ways of working.
Here are seven strategies to help leaders stay focused, keep teams engaged and customers positive when driving change.
- Clarify vision – Articulate the reason behind the change to create buy in and understanding. Not only answering why change, but why now? Frameworks like Kotter’s 8-Step Process says many fail at this stage by underestimating people’s willingness to get out of comfort zone and overestimating success in creating sense of urgency.
- Acknowledge emotions – everyone responds differently. Keep an open mindset. Lead with empathy, listen and address people’s fears and concerns. Know that for many people, change is hard. Anticipate and plan for that. McCarthy Mentoring mentor and transformation coach, Pam Dell, recently cited a study on aversion to change that showed only 1 out of 7 people made ongoing behaviour changes even when faced with a life-threatening disease. Where are you and your team on the Kubler-Ross change curve from denial to integration and how can we better move through it?
- Use the cheer squad – don’t just keep the decisions and communication at the executive level. Find advocates and influencers across all parts of the organisation who can share the message, feedback concerns and discuss with teams. Ideally, bring in a diverse team to co-design in the early planning stages to encourage ownership, problem-solve and sense-check potential barriers across the business.
- Stay agile and curious – create opportunities for continual and open feedback and listen to it. Where are the road blocks? What are people feeling? Do they feel heard? Understand how the change is impacting your people and customers. Track progress and adapt plans, systems and processes accordingly. Leaders can’t always make people feel comfortable with change but they can minimise discomfort.
- Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Seven times, seven ways is a widely held communication strategy to embed new information, minimise uncertainty and clarify what action is required. Be open about what’s known, the risks and the unknown. Without credible, regular communication, mistrust and unsettled behaviours can build. Does everyone understand where we’re trying to go? Do they know how it’s tracking? Can you share progress wins? At every step, what further information can you provide? Ask questions. Stay curious. Don’t assume.
- Be a positive role model – whether you have initiated the change or you are implementing it, the way you respond and the messages you send about the change sets the tone for others. Are you calm, positive and clear during turbulent times? Are you demonstrating commitment to the change?
- Focus forward – (even when unsure what path ahead). Acknowledge difficulties but focus on the possibilities. What do you know that gives some certainty and a greater sense of control? Is it clarifying timeframes, discussing options or breaking down achievable steps. Kotter’s Step 6 emphasises celebrating short term wins and progress on the way. Help teams believe in their ability to navigate through it. Remind them they’ve done hard stuff before. Empower and motivate teams to see their agency and role in moving forward.
