Leading for Results - Part 2: How to Lead Change Effectively

In Part 1, we discussed the attributes of an Agile Change Leader. In Part 2, we will discuss the four attributes characterizing successful implementation of change, and how to effectively engage diverse work teams.

1. Any significant change must have a compelling business case to focus the organization on the need for change - There are many tools available to assist leaders in developing a business case. At its most basic level, the business case must capture not only the reason(s) for change and benefits, it must also articulate the readiness for change inside the organization. Unfortunately, some leaders believe they are done when receiving approval from the senior executive team and forge ahead blindly. I've seen leaders fail early in implementing change, with the absence of two basic things; they did not have a business case they could articulate to employees, and employees did not understand how it would impact them. Employees want and need to know how processes will change, how their responsibilities will change, and more importantly how will organizational changes impact them. As a leader, you likely will not have immediate answers to these questions, it is therefore critical to be transparent and communicate the efforts to answer those questions with a commitment to follow-up.
2. Change cannot be executed successfully without employee engagement and commitment - Employee engagement in the change process is highly dependent on the involvement of key stakeholders in two important tasks - Developing the communication and implementation plans with supporting actions and assignment of responsibilities. Leaders should not fear advance sharing of plans to those directly impacted by the change, rather see this as means to solicit their input. In fact, by selecting the right employees at various levels, they can help you avoid errors in communication, and in turn will become advocates with their peers who may struggle with the change later in implementation. Length of service, or years of experience should not the sole reason for selecting an employee. Selecting employees who are respected by their peers and understand the sensitivity of early engagement are those to involve. Further, while the millennial employee may not have depth of experience, they will encourage and provoke different perspectives simply due to their desire to learn & contribute.
3. Execution is key - We've all heard the saying - Even a poor plan executed well is better than a good plan executed poorly. In the early stages of change a leader must be able to communicate a simple narrative to the organization - when will the change initiative begin, and when is it expected to end. Effective execution of a plan is dependent on having the right people on the team. Leaders fail when they are either afraid to place their best on the team, or they are unwilling to leverage and stretch early talent to create diverse teams. Change events are a great opportunity to engage early to mid-career employees who are motivated to make a difference, and leave an impact on the organization. A team diverse with early and late talent builds an organization and leads to better execution, what better way to engage the millennial workforce and transfer knowledge in the process.
4. Establish a cadence and be engaged - Finally, it is incumbent on the sponsoring or senior change leader to establish a cadence of review with the team. Cadence is important for several reasons; helps the team establish a rhythm, provides access to senior management to identify and resolve issues early, provides an opportunity to share and celebrate milestone achievements, and demonstrates senior leadership ongoing commitment. Additionally, it provides senior management a close up view of talent and aids ongoing communication to the broader organization - an engaged change leader is an informed leader, and a leader who who becomes educated to the talent residing in their organization.

In closing, I would like to end where I began in Part 1. The millennial generation is changing our concept of leadership and the rate of change in business will continue to accelerate. For those who are willing to become an agile change leader, they have the greatest opportunity for success by engaging the millennial's, the most educated and technology savvy generation to enter our workforce. It's time we begin listening to what this generation is telling us about leadership, becoming agile change leaders is the first step.

Author note: The comments & views expressed by the author in this article, are updated to reflect contributions previously made to the book titled "What No One Ever Tells You About Leading for Results: Best Practices from 101 Real-World Leaders", written by Jan Austin, PhD, MCC, BCC. Ms. Austin is an executive coach, organizational leadership development consultant, leadership program facilitator and published author.