Organizations today are awash in change. The change may come from within, such as a downsizing or an expansion, but more likely it’s driven by external factors, such as holding the lead in a market or struggling in one.
The challenge of leading organizations through change goes beyond setting strategy, making plans, and implementing the structures and processes of change. Often the real struggle lies in managing the long-term aspects of recovery, revitalization, and recommitment. In other words, the significant work of managing change requires leaders to focus simultaneously on managing the business and providing effective leadership to the people. More often than not, it is the focus on the people side of leadership that loses out.
The risk leaders face in minimizing or ignoring the human dynamic that plays out in the context of change and transition is twofold. First, they may prevent or undermine the organization’s structural and strategic goals by failing to gain sufficient buy-in and commitment from employees. Second, they may destabilize the organization’s culture and erode the trust and values that engender dedication. Loyalty and trust give way to insecurity and fear, while productivity and enthusiasm are displaced by withdrawal and skepticism.
In our work with organizations, we help leaders examine their individual styles and approaches as well as the underlying emotional dynamics that play out in times of change. In this book, we offer a framework for understanding the issues and competencies that contribute to effective leadership during times of change. Our purpose is to help leaders determine how to choose and move among a variety of managerial approaches, to help them see what’s working, what’s not working, and what’s missing. In this way, leaders can more clearly assess their impact and learn how to meet the demands of both managing the business and leading the people.
Our experience with more than three thousand leaders in multiple organizations underscores that in order for leaders to effectively harness and maintain the talent and commitment needed to benefit from organizational change, they must
• Examine their behaviors and emotions tied to change and transition. This begins the process of operating from a place of authenticity as a leader. These questions get at the heart of how one leads during change and transition: Do I make everything equally urgent? Do I avoid ambiguity or downplay uncertainty? Do I feel overwhelmed or isolated? Am I overly optimistic, to the point of raising questions about whether I’m in touch with the real challenges? Am I too attached to protecting my people? Do I bully others when I feel anxious or impatient?
• Establish and protect trust. Without trust and honesty, authenticity and credibility suffer—undermining otherwise solid change initiatives or management decisions. Leaders are well served by honestly assessing trust: Do I trust those around me? Do they trust me? Is there a culture of trust or distrust in the organization?
• Find a balance between structural leadership and people leadership. By learning the important competencies for leading in times of change and transition (we discuss twelve in this book), leaders gain a new perspective from which to operate. They can then identify which of the competencies they exaggerate, which ones they minimize or ignore, and in which areas they strike an effective balance. From this diagnosis, leaders can employ new leadership strategies.
By presenting a framework for understanding these issues, describing specific competencies, illustrating them in a real way, and providing tips and tactics for their use, this book will assist managers who are charged with leading themselves and others in a constantly changing workplace.