Change Leadership: What to Be and What to Do

To wrap-up this week on being a change leader, here’s my short list of what to be and what to do:

Photo by Aitor Escauriaza courtesy of Flickr

BE

-  A person with character; leadership descends from character
- Visionary – Have a vision of the “changed” project
- Reliable and consistent to develop and maintain trust with your team

DO:

- Take a couple steps at a time during the foggy period; think shorter term and celebrate successes
- Communicate, communicate, communicate with passion and belief in the vision
- Take care of the leader

A excellent description of a leader’s behavior during the “Foggy period” was provided by Yvonne Ryan – The Techie Leadership Coach:

The leader must emphasize/remind team members:

1) that the past cannot be changed (e.g., decisions already made and actions already taken often fall into this category of events), and

2) that a team/organization is best served when its members focus on what they can do and control, rather than on what they can’t do (and often have little control over). By keeping team members focused on being proactive and pursuing creative solutions (even to the seemingly “impossible”), the leader helps manage anxiety and keeps people on a constructive path, where rumor and innuendo have little or not impact.

Some may ask, “How can a leader do this when the team is trying to find their way through the ‘fog’?” The answer, of course, is to keep people focused on identifying the next one or two steps (no more) in a variety of contingency situations. That way, the team and its members are better prepared to hit the ground running in the most likely situations, and may do a credible job in taking steps pertaining to the unlikely scenarios as well.

Well said, Yvonne!

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