Kerry A. Bunker and Michael Wakefield shed some light on why leading change is so difficult...
The Balance Needed to Lead Change
One reason leading change is so difficult is the tension it sets up between managing business issues (creating a vision, aligning resources, restructuring the organization) and managing people issues (the legitimate concerns and feelings of those who must carry out the change and deal with its ramifications day-to-day). Most managers are adept at the business side of leading change, but the pressures generated by major structural or operational change compel them to pay particular attention to what’s happening on the human side of the organization.
And it is here that many leaders fall short. So how do leaders address the people side of change without jeopardizing the business side? At the Center for Creative Leadership, we’ve found that leaders must strike a balance between these six pairs of opposites to create and sustain an environment of trust during change:
BALANCE NO. 1: CATALYZE CHANGE/COPE WITH TRANSITION
Catalyzing change involves the ability to manage an initiative, generate buy-in and maintain momentum. Coping with transition means recognizing and addressing people’s feelings and opinions about the change and its possible fallout. Leaders who are adept at both give themselves and others permission to express doubt or anxiety. Trust and commitment reach a higher level, and the change initiative gains momentum as people work through the process.
BALANCE NO. 2: SHOW A SENSE OF URGENCY/ DEMONSTRATE REALISTIC PATIENCE
One of the most critical tasks for leaders of change is communicating a sense of urgency. Patience, however, is just as important. Realistic patience involves knowing when and how to slow the pace so that people can adapt. A lack of patience with people can undermine their commitment and impede the change process. Balanced leaders make a conscious effort to provide support and guidance when it’s needed. Realistic patience also means giving consistent, honest feedback. People need to know what they’re doing well and what they can do differently.
BALANCE NO. 3: BE TOUGH/BE EMPATHETIC
Being tough involves facing challenges head-on, being decisive and taking a firm stand in the face of resistance. Empathetic leaders are able to put themselves in other people’s shoes, consider individual limitations and value people as much as results. They know that a lack of empathy can corrode morale and motivation.
Many leaders have been taught to shut down their emotional responses in order to make difficult decisions. But connecting emotionally actually creates the opposite effect in times of significant change or crisis. People want to know that their leaders can be tough and decisive, but they want them to be human, too.
BALANCE NO. 4: SHOW OPTIMISM/BE REALISTIC AND OPEN
Leaders play a crucial role in maintaining optimism about major change. They need to see its positive effects and convey that vision to others. When people are stressed by change, they look to their leaders for energy and confidence. But balanced leaders are not blindly optimistic. Their optimism is balanced with realism and openness. Balanced leaders ask the hard questions, deliver the news and draw attention to challenges and struggles. A balance of optimism and realism generates trust.
BALANCE NO. 5: BE SELF-RELIANT/TRUST OTHERS
Leaders who are self-reliant have confidence in their own skills and abilities. They are accustomed to working independently and often pride themselves on “going it alone.” But in situations of complex change, it is critical for leaders to trust others to bring their own perspectives and expertise to the table. Whatever the challenge, a collaborative approach yields insight, innovation and action that even the most talented individual cannot generate alone.
BALANCE NO. 6: CAPITALIZE ON STRENGTHS/GO AGAINST THE GRAIN
In times of crisis, leaders have a tendency to draw on the traits and abilities that led to their success in the past. But overreliance on past behaviors can cement leaders into strategies that no longer work, and the failure to recognize conditions that demand a new approach can be disastrous. Leaders must have the ability to leave their comfort zone and challenge preferred patterns—in essence, to go against the grain.
To balance their innate strengths with new skills, leaders must first assess their strengths, weaknesses, preferences and default behaviors. In CCL programs, they do this through a combination of 360-degree assessments, feedback and coaching. Direct and honest feedback from bosses, colleagues and direct reports can also provide leaders with a clear picture of their own performance and behavior. Such awareness allows leaders to identify their strengths, shore up their weaknesses and practice different behaviors.
THE PARADOX OF LEADERSHIP
Leading change requires managing the constant tension between business-driven and people-focused priorities. It’s not possible to be perfectly in balance all the time. But wise leaders recognize that it’s an ideal worth striving for.
Kerry A. Bunker is a senior enterprise associate and manager of the Awareness Program for Executive Excellence at the Center for Creative Leadership, in Greensboro, N.C. Michael Wakefield is a senior enterprise associate at CCL. This article is adapted from their book Leading with Authenticity in Times of Transition.