What Does it Take to Lead Organizations Through Change?
Do you have what it takes to lead your organization through change? As a leadership and change management speaker, I ask executive leaders if they have the determination and the vision to lead their organizations through change.
Why Vision?
“Demanding” that organizations respond to the challenges in front of them has never served upper management in bringing about effective outcomes to difficulties created by mergers, acquisitions, technology or other major changes. It requires the vision and the daily grit to get everyone on the same page and to see things through.
Several years ago (August 2014), Entrepreneur magazine identified at least eight factors needed to bring about a positive outcome to major changes including: the creation of a plan; understanding the goals and objectives the plan will address; clear communication; identifying key players in the organization to lead the charge; the specific tasks to be delegated; the objectives of the plan; the management of desired expectations and most important, accountability.
I would add “mindset” to the above change management outcomes. Is the organization of a specific and singular mindset to ensure that the outcome is successful?
To that point, business writer Camille Nicita for Forbes magazine (July 2, 2019), stated:
“When you’re creating change, your employees need to authentically embrace what they are being asked to do. Left uninspired, employees may take on the mindset that ‘they told me I have to do this, so I have to do it.’ Rather, employees should understand how the change affects — and more importantly, benefits — them. They need to believe in the higher purpose the change ultimately serves. Uninspired employees can almost always be compelled to comply, but I believe only an inspired workforce can turn change into a sustainable transformation.”
Who Needs Inspiration?
Ultimately who needs to have the collective mindset and vision to bring about change in their organizations? Everyone. No employee or department should be overlooked in buying into the tasks at hand. It is called “ownership,” where there is a shared vision and mindset throughout the organization.
In October 2017, McKinsey & Company wrote an article entitled “Secrets of Successful Change Implementation.” Among the important points they shared:
“For both successful and unsuccessful [organizational] transformations…the single most significant factor influencing a transformation’s outcome is the degree of ownership and commitment of the organization’s leaders. To be clear, ‘ownership’ and ‘commitment’ involve much more than just ‘alignment.’ Commitment is a level of psychological investment that drives personal, proactive action—and becomes even stronger when failure may have adverse consequences. At a very basic level, successful transformations typically reinforce ownership through clear accountability for specific targets and individual incentives for key players that are strongly aligned to success.”
To lead an organization through change, the executive leaders must convey a sense of ownership. It is a commitment that says, “We’re going to be successful, and I need your determination to help me reach that goal.”
Change is inevitable, and in today’s world, it seems constant. It takes a buy-in and without a plan to bring everyone on board, change is more wishful thinking than reality. Get real. Commit to your vision.
Book Scott Burrows, inspirational Leadership & Change Management Speaker for your next through this website or by calling: (520) 548-1169
