If you lead, you lead change. Period. And your leadership makes a difference. In fact, the data shows that leadership makes the biggest difference when it comes to change. Prosci, a global research firm with the largest body of change management data, has found that:
The #1 contributor to successful change is active and visible sponsorship from leaders.
But what does that really mean and what does it look like?
Nearly every day we engage with leaders who are trying to affect some type of change or experiencing a change that has been thrust upon them that they must manage. They may not even use the word change as a part of what they are describing, but change is almost always required to get to where they want to go. It might be a leader trying to change or strengthen their organization’s culture, a leader whose firm is seizing an opportunity to grow, a leader who is navigating the sudden loss or departure of a key player, a leader who is trying to achieve a breakthrough in team performance, or a leader who wants to set and execute a strategy for the future, just to mention a few. If you are trying to achieve a new future state for your organization, a division, or one group/ team, you are leading change. So, how do you lead change well?
By taking actionable steps toward clear and present leadership for change, you can make a significant difference in your company.
–Diane Brown
A leader must do three things to be an “effective sponsor” for a change:
1. ACTIVELY participate and be visibly present.
From the time a change is conceptualized, to when it is introduced, and through all the phases of the project, a leader must be present. Effective leadership is not saying “We need to make this change. Go make it happen” only to have others take over.
Rather, leadership must:
- Continually provide direction, support, and resources, and ensure obstacles and barriers are removed.
- Engage in active, ongoing dialogue and maintain a continuous visible presence.
- Role model the change you are asking others to make.
2. BUILD support for the change.
Effective change doesn’t just happen because one leader decides it must take place. Change happens best when the leader builds a coalition of support within the organization, division, or team. By definition, the word coalition means an alliance for combined action. Engaging key stakeholders and influencers who can serve as advocates for the change and the basis for action is crucial to moving team members effectively toward a desired future state.
To build support:
- Identify the internal stakeholders and key influencers (e.g., leadership team members, middle managers, etc.) who will be essential to affecting the change.
- Build support by engaging these stakeholders in conversation in small groups and one-on-one.
- Involve these stakeholders in the change process.
3. COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE.
One of the most essential elements a leader must master during change is communication. In our experience with coaching change, we have found that it’s difficult for leaders to communicate too much, especially surrounding changes that are complex.
To communicate effectively:
- Define the change and share the vision of success.
- Share “why” a change is important to the business, why now, and what the risk is of not changing. These messages must be regular and consistent throughout the life of the project.
- Define key messages, FAQs, and key facts
- Equip the coalition with the key messages, FAQs, and key facts.
- Equip supervisors and managers with key messages, FAQs, and key facts. Employees want to hear the business-level messages from executive leadership, but they want to hear how they are impacted or what’s in it for them directly from their manager. It’s important to equip managers with this information.
- Create feedback loops to get input on what’s working and what’s not.
- Remember, research tells us that messages often have to be shared up to seven times before they might be “heard”. So communicate often and use different channels. If you think you are overcommunicating, you may just be doing enough!
These three leadership behaviors form the “ABCs” of leading change well. To assess your effectiveness, consider one change you are trying to affect. Take a step up and back, and answer these questions:
- What actions show you are actively and visibly present, engaging and leading this change all the way through? (A)
- What are you doing to intentionally generate buy-in and build a coalition of support with key stakeholders? What might these stakeholders need to support and sustain the change? (B)
- What are you communicating related to the change and how often? How are you obtaining feedback on actions and sensing how team members are doing? (C)
- Based on your reflections above, how might you improve or sustain your leadership?
By taking actionable steps toward clear and present leadership for change, you can make a significant difference in your company!
Lead Onward!
