Change Means Transition
In our last post, we took a deeper dive into what leadership means and how we define it at Distilled Leadership. We boiled it down to one core idea: Leadership is the ability to inspire people to follow you toward a goal, a vision, or future state. A simple concept, but one that isn’t always simple to put into practice. That’s because things change. (And if they didn’t, there would be less of a need for leaders – we’d only need managers…)
Like “leadership,” change is also a loaded word. It is equal parts short and sweet, full of ambiguity, and subject to misinterpretation.
If dealing with change is so fundamentally a part of a leader’s role, than it’s important to create an image and idea of what change means for leadership. We’ve distilled everything a leader needs to know about change into a model we call Three Truths of Change:
Change Means Transition
Change Happens in Stages
Change Sparks Resistance
In this post, we’ll explore the first truth, Change Means Transition, and give you ideas on how you as a leader can navigate your company through sometimes-chaotic, sometimes-stressful periods.
What Effect Transition Has on an Organization – and Its People
Change means transition. That may seem obvious, but what we forget is that change and transition also mean moving from the comfortable old to the unknown new.
It doesn’t matter if the change is large or small, professional or personal: our minds have been wired by thousands of years of evolution to interpret change as loss. In fact, we can get surprisingly emotional about the smallest of changes. This reaction happens even if there is a clear, positive benefit to the new. For example, getting a new role or promotion as the result of a large re-organization can lead to an exciting new career path. But leaving our old role and those we worked with – especially if we weren’t prepared for the re-org, can make the situation bittersweet and complicated. We know and maybe even loved our old role and team. Will we feel the same about our new one? What happens to everyone else?
Within an organization, big announcements or launching initiatives that push people out of their comfort zones – whether they perceive those changes as good or bad – can trigger feelings of loss. In addition, unlike the role-upgrade above, we often don’t have a choice in the matter. We don’t like decisions that are made without our input. So if people feel like victims of the change, they will hold even tighter onto the “now.” That uneasiness can be compounded many times by the fear that change might mean losing their job.
In short:
Change always includes losing something, and nobody likes losing
Change that comes “out of the blue” without our knowledge or input is particularly difficult
It’s not that we resist change as much as we want to avoid the feeling of loss
For leaders, recognizing the psychology of change at work here will help you guide the organization through the disruption.
How to Make the Transition Easier
Obviously, what we leaders need to do is help make the transition easier to reduce feelings of loss and lack of input. There are two key parts to this strategy:
Clarity of Vision
Communication
Clarity of Vision Makes the New More Comfortable, Faster
Clarity increases the likelihood of successful change implementation. Leaders who communicate a clear and compelling vision for change tend to successfully align teams and stakeholders to that common goal. This is for several reasons:
A clear vision reassures staff that the people at the top know what they’re doing and have good reasons for change.
The clearer the vision, the more likely staff can see it themselves. Be sure to include the why for change as well as the what and when and how. (See “Why This, Why Now Statements” below.)
When staff start to envision your plan themselves, they start getting comfortable with the change – even before that change has happened.
Staff will talk about your vision. Fully formed, specific visions tend to inspire future-building, resulting in everyone rowing together. Vague, unclear visions tend to inspire fear and unrest, impacting productivity and staff retention.
Using company vision statements as an example, we can better highlight the difference to an organization when presented with a major initiative.
Non-specific (Bad):
To be the leading provider of innovative solutions for a better tomorrow.
To maximize shareholder value through innovation and operational excellence.
Clear, specific statements (Good):
To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. (Tesla)
To organize the world’s information and make it accessible and useful. (Google)
In essence, a good vision is specific, inspiring, and focuses on our purpose beyond the basic financial gain. A bad vision lacks specificity, is generic, and centers on financials that don’t tap into the deeper meaning that people need to feel part of something important.
The key thing here is that when change is imminent – good or bad – a clear view of what the future holds makes the transition easier.
Communication Reinforces Clarity
As mentioned above, one of the things clarity gives staff is reassurance for the future. Communication reinforces that clarity and in turn reassurance.
Communication ensures staff understand what changes are happening and when, giving them a clearer view of their future – and their present.
Keeping staff in the loop with changes signals that they are an important part of the process. This in turn helps them feel like they have some control and will alleviate any feelings they may have of not having input.
Constant contact throughout the process also reinforces the fact that the people at the top know what they’re doing, and that the plan is proceeding as it should. Radio silence breeds paranoia and signals something bad may be coming.
Celebrating milestones and thanking those who got you there (i.e., everyone) is another way to signal that everything is right on track.
Communication is the leader’s most useful tool to accelerate buy-in and keep everyone moving in the same direction.
Strategies for Transition
In our next post, we’ll follow up with these ideas and provide some strategies for transition. In the meantime, if you have any questions specific to your organization, book a consultation call with Michael Kutner and let’s find out how Distilled Leadership can help you transition through change smoothly.