Change is scary. I was recently at a CASE IV Drive-in, and within five minutes of being there had heard about three leaders who mentioned they were facing organizational change.
This content proudly sponsored by Enrollify.
With the average tenure of a presidency, less than six years, those of us who spend their career in this profession are likely to face change.
When, Maria Kuntz, Melissa Richards and I led a pre-conference at AMA, we also talked about being caught in a constant cycle of change as a middle manager.
Additionally, I’m working on some organizational changes at my university, which will help our team long-term but are scary in the interim.
Those three experiences have me thinking a good deal about how to lead through change. I’ve been both the leader driving the change and also the person leading in the middle when change is happening above me. These are five tips that have helped me in both of these aspects of change.
Five Tips for Managing Change
Be Direct (and even blunt) – I’ve received feedback that sometimes I’m too soft in delivery that people don’t get the message. When managing change, this isn’t the time for that. Instead, it’s far better to be very straightforward and even blunt. People want to hear their own desires in change. The best way to make sure they hear your message (or the message you’re asked to share) is being overly direct and removing emotion from the message. Depending on the situation, this can be tough and even uncomfortable. However, it’s the best way to ensure the message is received.
Keep the Door Open – If you’re like me and take pride in being an empathetic leader, keeping the door open is a good way to balance the directness that is sometimes required. Inviting follow-up conversations after people have had a chance to process information is an opportunity to show you care, want to make sure people feel comfortable and provide additional context. When I have to deliver tough messages, I encourage the team to reach out with questions. Additionally, I try to check in with them directly instead of just waiting for them to reach out. If you are managing change from the middle, you may feel like you don’t have lots of answers but just being there to listen and giving people space to ask questions (even without an answer) likely matters to the team.
Articulate Leadership Style – In situational leadership, there are moments as leaders, we are coaching, delegating, participating, and telling. If we regularly adjust between those in our leadership style (I do), it can help to share the expectations around response. Telling the team this is a telling or a participating environment helps them understand their role and how they can be supportive. Nothing breaks trust faster than when the team thinks you’re in a participating mode and offers feedback, but you’re actually in telling mode and not seeking input.
Embrace Questions – If you’re directing the change, give people a chance to ask questions about the situation. This gives people a chance to understand the situation and how it may impact them. This is also really important when you break news. Chances are, you’ve been thinking through the situation before they’re hearing about it, so you’ve had time to work through it in your mind. Your team is hearing it for the first time, so give them space for questions. If the change is happening and you’re managing from the middle, be curious and ask questions. This will help you better understand the situation and the impacts it may have.
Practice Your Messages – When emotions are high and change is involved, communication is really important. Take a minute to slow down and prepare. There’s often a desire to move quickly but marinating to make sure you get it right is key. I try to write out the talking points, articulate the tone I want to convey, and even practice the conversation. One of my more recent strategies is to use ChatGPT (without identifiable information) to rehearse the conversation. It’s helped me hone a few points that might have been misinterpreted and given me the confidence to have the tough conversations.
What Else?
What are other tips that you’re thinking about to help manage change? I’m curious if there are other strategies you use when leading through change?
Feel free to drop a thought in the comments, and we can keep the conversation going.
And Carrie On 