Navigating The Sea of Change in an Internet Company

Hi Everyone,

?For those that have read my previous articles, these are based on my experience of having worked in an Internet Company for 20+ years, as well as extensive experience in the Pharmaceutical and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sector, in addition to having coached a lot of Leaders both in my Corporate & Consulting environments.

?We’ve all heard the saying ‘the only thing that is constant in Business is change’???????????????????????????????

This statement grows more and more relevant as Organisations and Leaders look to thrive and survive, yes, I mean survive, not in the true sense of survival in the context of tragedy, but yet, it is corporate survival, being able to see and recognise change coming, navigating this as well as unforeseen change, having the resilience, adaptability, stability and thoughtfulness to both respond and react to those changes and in most instances, helping and guiding their Organisation and teams through that change is paramount to success and longevity in today’s world.

During this article we’ll explore various ways that Leaders that operate in Internet Companies navigate that constantly changing environment, whether a small, medium or large change, in some respects, it doesn’t really matter, what you do as a leader, how you do it, when you do it and why you do it in relation to leading change has profound effects on everyone in your team or Organisation and how they react to that change.

In my previous article, I talked about the Fractional Executive concept (Fractional Leadership in an Internet Company), I mention this because as I highlighted below, navigating Organisational change and the complexity within that is a great example of where you can get real scale and leverage from a Fractional Executive to do that.? They most likely have a depth of experience and knowledge having experienced managing & leading significant change in Organisation they have worked at.

As I highlighted in my previous article.

“Now this is where I change my tone on the concept of a Fractional Executive, as I find myself increasingly playing advisory roles, I realise it is a great balance that an Organisation can gain access to Senior Leadership expertise and support, but also not carry the burden of cost or HC, if this were the motoring industry way back in the day, it would be titled ‘Just in time sourcing’.? You access the support and knowledge, when you need it and how you need it.? You cut out the white space, the time taken for politics etc, you simply get the support you need as you need it.? The Fractional Executive concept in truly outcomes driven.

Whether you’re a 50, 100, 200 even a 400 or 500 person business or larger, you’re growing, maybe or maybe not, facing People challenges or opportunities, finding and leveraging the right Senior Leader advice & experience is important, dare I say critical, however, you also need to balance sustainability for your business and navigate the cost burden, so accessing the right Senior Leader in a fraction of the time resonates, it might seriously be a worthwhile investment to help you bounce ideas you might have and not necessarily have the internal sounding board, this affords you the right support in a timely and sustainable way, this approach lends itself to many functions including, human resources, marketing, sales, communications, technology, AI, operations to name a few.”

Back to navigating the sea of change.

In my experience for a Leader to be successful, there are some basics they really need to get right.

Being clear on why the change in necessary.        

Seriously asking the ‘Why question’.? Unfortunately in my experience, rarely do leaders throughout an Organisation ask the following basic questions.? More often than not, the CEO makes a statement, often there is a lot of debate in the broader Executive team, then the edict gets passed down through the layers of Leadership.? The flaw sometimes that exists, is that no one tends to demonstrate the courage to challenge the underlying assumptions.? I get it, if my career was on the line, it takes a lot of courage to raise your hand and ask some seriously challenging questions.? If Leaders truly paused, reflected and thought about the impact of the change to their Organisation, employees, customers and suppliers, they would seriously invest in just trying to answer these simple questions.

• ?Why are we undertaking this change?
• What are we hoping to deliver as a result of the change?
• What do we need to do to make this change a success?
• Will it solve the problem we have or put us in a position to access the opportunity in front of us?
• Do we have the fortitude for the change?
• Are there alternatives that will help us get to the intended outcome that we want?

Communicate, communicate and communicate.?         

If a leader wants a change program to deliver and succeed against the intended outcomes, they need to realise, that part of their role is to champion the change, build a coalition of commitment, drive clarity, demonstrate their belief and passion behind the change, lastly, hold the torch to the north star.? The challenge in most Organisational change programs is that Leaders will stand in a townhall meeting and say ‘This is the change we needed, competition is tougher, if we want to succeed we have to make tough calls and tough decisions, this change will make a huge difference for us etc etc etc’, then they go into a bunker, maintain radio silence and look down on the change, without really helping to own it, drive it, keep a weathered eye on it and lead from the front.? The Leadership expectations that I would highlight are the same as ones that I mention in my article (Navigating the chaos in an Internet Company).

?Lastly I would suggest a Leader needs to be a stable touchstone for the Organisation.

?Take a Breath and Keep Perspective.?         

During the leadership of change, the aspect that in my view, derails a lot of change programs is losing perspective.? A Leader needs to constantly keep in the back of their minds the answers to the questions posed in point 1.? Then during a change program, take a few moments to pause and ask themselves the following questions:

• ?Are we on track?
• How are our people coping and feeling?
• Are we communicating enough?
• What else can we be doing to help the change succeed?
• What else can I do to help make this change both successful and ‘sticky’?

?In my experience, where I have seen the best Leaders, leading through change, they are simply busy as bees, constantly checking in, engaging people, communicating, understanding concerns, helping to bring clarity, holding the torch to the north star.? Yes, it seems like a lot, but if you have the mindset that the change program is truly critical, then give it the weight it deserves for your attention, don’t just push it aside, employees see this and feel it – you’d be surprised how many times I hear employees deeper in the organisation, say things like ‘This change is just another fad?? Nothing will really happen?? This is the usual annual reduction in employee numbers to make the financials look good for the Market analysts. No one really knows why we are doing this?? Why do I need to cut, when I see my peers moving the cups around and hiding the acorn under the cup’ – Now, if these types of comments and thoughts don’t raise an alarm bell for Leaders, there is probably a more significantly deeper issues at play.

As I wrap up this latest article, I would say that every Leader needs to keep in the back of their mind, the ultimate impact on the engagement, loyalty and commitment of people in your Organisation based on their change agenda. All change leaves some form of scars, impact and legacy, the real question is, are these for better or worse? As I mention in (The 'Nuts & Bolts' engagement engine - engaging your employees in an Internet Company). There are foundational steps every leader should be doing to drive, maintain and strengthen the engagement within their Organisation.

So, in summary what helps a Leader navigate the sea of change in my experience.        

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1. Clarity – understanding why you are driving change and what outcome you want from it.
2. Care and consideration – be genuine and authentic in your care and consideration for the impact of any change program on the Organisation, Employees as well as Customers.
3. Communication – In my experience a Leader simply can’t communicate enough, understand your message, does it resonate and then say it, say it, say it and say it again and again and again.
4. Empowerment – help to build ownership deeper in the Organisation for the change program, if it truly makes sense, there is no end to the ownership that will flow through.
5. Ask yourself tough questions constantly – are we on track?? Does it still make sense?
6. Don’t think you're always right!? Listen to others, challenge your assumptions, read between the lines.

?Thanks again for taking the time to read this and I hope something resonates for you in your leadership journey.

?Warm regards,

?Klaus

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