Change Is Complicated, But the Way You Lead It Doesn’t Have to Be

Leading change is about turning dreams into realities, plans into truth. But sometimes, things just don’t work out the way we plan; they just don’t come true.

I have written in previous blogs that most people think change is okay, to a certain extent, as long as you are able to demonstrate what’s in it for them and as long as there is something in it for them. That’s not always the case, of course, especially when it comes to organizational change. And, unfortunately, the connection between what’s “in it” for the individual and what’s “in it” for the organization can often be murky, unclear, or out of alignment.

Thus, I have learned what people hate most about change is ambiguity and uncertainty, rather than whether the change is desirable or not. To me, the least relevant metric to assess change readiness is whether people like the change or not. Instead, I’m more interested in whether people understand the change that’s coming well enough to execute what needs to be done going forward.

Keep It Simple

The toughest transformational change initiative I ever had to lead involved presiding over a major company restructuring and a related 14,000 employee headcount reduction during the implosion of the particular industry in the early 2000s. It was the least fun I have ever had in my career, but also one of the most important and defining periods in my development as an HR leader.

I learned a lot about leading change during this experience. I also learned a great deal about how people respond to change and uncertainty, as well as the opportunities and stresses that change creates.

First, I learned that change is complicated, but the way you lead it doesn’t need to be. Quite a few consulting firms earn a very good living by making change incredibly complicated and difficult to understand, and then selling clients the secret formula to simplify and demystify the change process. Change, I found, is easier to manage if you can keep it from getting complicated in the first place.

Second, I learned that people are complicated, but the way you lead them doesn’t need to be. I worked with many incredibly courageous and unselfish leaders and employees during this extremely difficult transformation. Unfortunately, I also worked with a few people who melted under the pressure and tough times, and they set a bad example for others. It’s easier to lead, I found, when you keep leadership simple.

Third, I learned that I sometimes made change and leadership more complicated than needed, and I had to push the reset button a couple of times to make sure I was keeping things simple enough for people to understand what we were asking of them. We needed them to remain as positively engaged as they could be under the circumstances. I learned a lot about myself as an HR executive during this transformational change process. I found that it’s best for me to keep things as simple as possible to maximize the understanding and engagement of others.

What as the HR leader for your organization can you do to keep things simple when change rears its head?

Learn More

If you found this information valuable, for more on these and other ideas, check out my book, THREE: The Human Resources Emerging Executive, available for preview at www.exexgroup.com/publications/three-book.

Be sure also to check out the FREE eBook Black Holes and White Spaces: Reimagining the Future of Work and HR with the CHREATE Project, published through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and now available for download on Amazon where it remains a best seller in the Business Leadership and the Human Resources categories The eBook contains 26 essays and is the result of contributions of expertise, time, and passion from more than 70 exemplary chief HR officers and CHREATE Project volunteers.