The COVID-19 crisis has prompted consultants and academics to emphasize empathy, transparency, and over-communication to lead through change. While sound advice, it rests on a flawed premise.
Unlike temporary crises like COVID-19, change and uncertainty are now perpetual in business. There's no 'other side'—every organization operates in a continuous cycle of adaptation. Mindful leaders sharpen tools during crises that enable thriving in this ever-shifting normal.
What is a change leader?
Executives and managers who don't see themselves as change leaders overlook a core responsibility. To survive—and excel—in intense change, they must embrace the change leader role.
Change leaders view disruption as vital for relevance, freshness, and creativity. They instill this mindset organization-wide.
Here are four steps, drawn from decades of guiding global transformations, to become a resilient, change-ready leader:
1. Release attachments to the past and present.
Looking forward is easier than letting go, a common human challenge. To gain clarity, acknowledge past assumptions, norms, and mindsets; appreciate their past value; then consciously release them. Clinging creates tunnel vision in flux.
In my career, leading a major strategic initiative quadrupled my scope. My prior hands-on style no longer fit—I reinvented my approach through trial, testing, and shedding unseen attachments.
Businesses must do the same: yesterday's roadmap may fail tomorrow. Research shows leaders anticipating uncertain futures outperform. Start with a team journey map: chart highs (proud pivots) and lows (key lessons) over time, identifying what to release and carry forward.
2. Be inclusive and decisive.
Crises demand speed, but solo or small-group decisions miss vital insights in rapid change. Scale inclusion: set the direction (the 'what'), crowdsource the 'how'.
This yields diverse perspectives for innovative solutions. Use brainstorming, one-on-ones, polls, or shared threat/opportunity views.
For a client merging firms across continents, we ran virtual focus groups in a week to craft a new vision and culture. Diverse debate builds buy-in, even for non-preferred outcomes.
3. Co-create vision-driven strategic paths.
Predictability is gone, but mapping distinct paths to your vision aligns teams.
Outline three detailed alternatives, challenging past biases. Explore each as viable.
At a software client stalled on growth alignment, we mapped three paths. In small offsite groups, leaders advocated unfamiliar options—shifting preferences through deeper understanding, yielding consensus.
4. Show emotional balance (be human).
Amid threats, feign invulnerability erodes trust. Balance realism with optimism: acknowledge stress, highlight positive change drivers.
A medical supplies client frames shifts as heroic mission support. Find your 'why' beyond survival.
Check in regularly, listen actively. Reframe threats as opportunities—practice this to energize teams.
Now's the time to build change muscles. As Kathryn Clubb, Change and Transformation Manager at BTS (formerly Strategy Partner at Accenture and Chief Innovator at WHWest), I've helped global leaders execute amid uncertainty. These practices turn flux into innovation fuel.
Kathryn Clubb
https://www.moyens.net/author/kathryn-clubb/
