Navigating Change is a Leader's Job
And teaching their people to do it, too!
(This week’s TLC Newsletter Audio is available to TLC members 👆🆓🎧)
Your job is to ride the waves, not calm the seas.
That’s what my mom, the fisherwoman, always said. And if ever there was a time to help your people get their “sea legs” it’s today, as change happens at incredible speed to our lives and careers. So what can leaders do to help their people roll with the waves? Here are some powerful techniques you can apply right away.
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Quick Clip from this week’s Mastermind Coaching Call
Navigating Change vs Resolving Change
Need more resources for handling change? Here are some of my favorite links:
Watch the full Mastermind Coaching Call #39 “Navigating Change as a Leader”
Newsletter: Leaders Defend Against Distraction
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You’re Designed for Change
The most important thing leaders can remember - and remind their people - is that we’re all designed for change. Your whole life is one great big change-continuum, where you’re constantly adapting and growing and thriving amidst personal and external change. So, stay confident that whatever’s happening this week, you’re designed to handle it. And for some of us, that’s actually your job — helping clients and colleagues deal with planned and unplanned changes to their plans to implement a project, transact a deal, or reach a goal.
You don’t have to Resolve Change
Seek to navigate change, not “fix” it. You don’t have to repair what change might break - whether it’s a market or your marketing plan. The best change-navigators learn to quickly set aside the attempt to control, correct, or even corral change. Instead, they focus their energies on learning to ride alongside (and eventually ahead of) changes that impact their goals. Once you give up trying to resist or restore change’s impact, you’ll find it more productive to learn to go with the flow.
Three Techniques for Helping Others Navigate Change
Here’s where leaders can have a huge impact on their colleagues, clients and company’s ability to turn change into opportunity. By applying these three techniques, you can help some people stop fighting, others stop fleeing and everyone get back into motion when change appears.
1. Focus on Values
To create stability in the middle of the chaos of change, reaffirm your values. Personal values provide a sense of control and a strong foundation upon which to “push forward” and find solutions that reflect what’s important to you. Just because things are going to be different doesn’t mean they have to be worse, and keeping your values in mind will increase the likelihood that you’ll find a values-affirming way to adapt to the new circumstances. The same is true for colleagues at work: reminding them of the company’s values, including goals and aspirations, provides a “North Star” for people to keep in sight as they try new things and experience uncertainty. Knowing that some things will always be there - like values and goals - is reassuring during turbulent times. Values help people maintain hope and take action while others fall apart.
2. Encourage Motion (MVP)
When change happens, we often feel “stuck.” Our plans are put on hold, or we call change a “setback.” So leaders must find ways to keep themselves and others in motion taking whatever small, persistent steps forward while they adapt to changing circumstances. One trick is to focus on the minimal viable progress (MVP) someone takes to keep going, even if the future outcomes remain unclear. Breaking down progress into small steps gives people a sense of control and accomplishment - two critical emotions that turn caution into careful, calculated risks.
3. Show some Attitude (encourage optimism)
Amongst the most powerful things a leader can do to empower their people during change, having a positive, confident attitude is one of the most helpful. Showing up and staying optimistic has a ripple effect on colleagues, clients, and even competitors. It says, “Sure, things are different, but we can handle it and I know we’ll still be successful.” This isn’t just putting on a happy face: Leaders must transmit their certainty that the future is still winnable, and their optimism that their people will become better than ever once the changes settle down. Adopt a consistent, even-keeled attitude that provides others with a role model to manage their own emotions.
Bonus Idea: Leaders Dispel Confusion
As noted in our last newsletter, leaders must be proactive in addressing confusion and distractions — doubly so when times are changing quickly. Taking steps to immediately clarify misunderstandings, explain your reasons for taking unexpected or new actions, and most of all immediately squashing toxic rumors is a full-time job for effective leaders. The ancillary effect isn’t merely better-informed colleagues and clients; it’s people with lower anxiety and fear — which means they’ll be more likely to respond to the first three techniques of emphasizing values, taking small actions, and staying calm — to successfully turn change into an opportunity for fresh growth.
Don’t forget to download our powerful e-book: 8 Ways to Turn Caution into Calculated Risk for even more ideas on how to help yourself and others navigate change.
See you on the next TLC Monday Mastermind Call!
—M
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