Leading change with the superpowers of the team

When uncertainty, employee resistance and resistance to change are rampant, "what can a poor man or woman do?"! The pioneering change leader first calls for a selfish moment that will energise people and the organisation, as a kind of positive payback.

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The change maverick starts with a bit of selfishness, or self-reflection, in order to build resilience in the people and to achieve the goal to which the change initiatives should lead. This behaviour inevitably begins to replenish some of the energy lost in trying to manage all the emotions. It also helps the leader to achieve a clearer vision, which becomes a point of stability for the team. An anchor for this huge ship floating on the sea of change.

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The renewed energy, the new vision and the new powerful story create a beacon for change. Stakeholders feel freer to share ideas and vent frustrations. It's then that the newly compassionate leader gets them to actually identify and express the superpowers they see in each of their colleagues. These superpowers are unique to each team member: it might be that they are reliable, they are creative, blue-sky thinkers, excellent connectors, they might look at both sides of the coins. So many things! This brings to the fore a wide range of talents and helps to create a confident, re-energised team ready to take on the journey. And having a discussion about this with our teams is so uplifting! Try it!

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At this point, however, the captains of the organisation may still be hesitant and postpone planned events. The risk creeps in that, despite all the sharing, the change will be stopped. So, glowing with new energy and story, the change leader and stakeholders turn to the burning platform and decide to walk through the door of change. The transformation story is then shared more widely throughout the company, credible allies rise up in the organisation and join the change leader, giving momentum to the pioneer. Board buy-in inevitably follows! Final payback, mission accomplished and bye-bye blind spots!

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If you recognise yourself in this portrait of a pioneering change leader, you may enjoy my recent conversation with Laetitia Johnson , Vice President of Global Operations Excellence at adidas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptd2V7eeU7s&t=1s.