Supporting Leaders Not Just With “Change,” But For “Continuous Change”

Politics. Social Issues. Global crises. Mental Health. Talent Scarcity and Skill Shortages. Workforce Diversity. Operational Efficiency. AI and Tech.?

Leaders need support today more than ever.

Front-Line Leaders Could Be Your Business' Greatest Differentiators. They Are The Architects Of Daily, Small-But-Powerful Change

There’s no doubt that the pace of change today is more relentless than it has ever been. Companies can no longer simply prepare their leaders for planned or “episodic business strategy change” (sometimes referred to as Change Management).? Leaders need to be skilled at being more agile and to manage “Continuous Change.” One way companies are supporting their leaders for this is through executive coaching. And many leaders are choosing executive coaching on their own. It’s a cost-effective approach driving innovation and allowing companies to be agile enough to quickly respond to market dynamics.

"Continuous Change" Is Different From "Change Management"

“Change Management” (or “Episodic Business Change”) usually comes as a result of a shift in market conditions and business strategy. Things like new product launches, large process changes, new software deployment, or top-down organizational shifts. And it usually comes with strategy documents, engagement of leadership at many levels, communications about what and why, and lots of support from all parts of the organization.

Whereas “Continuous Change” is about being able to address day-to-day adjustments that are a bit more executional, but arguably no less important to achieving your overall businesses strategy and goals. These are things like: changes due to ongoing shifts in customer demand and feedback, team- or department-based responses to competitive or external pressures, or addressing the ongoing shifts in your talent base from a recruitment and retention perspective.?

This paradigm shift towards a model of continuous change is here to stay. To lead successfully across all levels of leadership — and especially the front lines — adaptability, agility, and foresight are key. That means that front-line leaders are no longer just executors of predefined strategies; they are the architects of daily, small-but-powerful change, and can be the make or break for organizations to be dynamic and react with real-time precision and accuracy.?

The Days Of Achieving Goals By Over Hiring Are Gone

As Josh Bersin (Workplace Analyst and Advisor) recently pointed out in a podcast on “Talent Density,” challenges in the labor market are reshaping every organization. Factors are demographic shifts, changing work preferences, and evolving skill requirements. And companies can no longer achieve their goals just by hiring more staff. Partially because their bottom lines can’t handle it, and also because the quality of a team goes down when you hire quickly. So finding ways to get the most out of each individual — and empowering everyone on the team to be a leader in their own right — will unleash a competitive advantage that may already be within your organization.

Executive Coaching Can Unlock A Start-Up Mentality That Drives Exponential Results

Having coached many executive leaders in start-up cultures, this type of leadership expectation isn’t new. However most companies don’t invest enough to support their leaders to be able to lead effectively in a a continuous-change model.

While you can train groups of leaders to understand the philosophical shift for continuous change, you ability to truly unlock that training is through personalized support like executive coaching. Coaching provides a space for reflection, learning, and growth, using their team’s unique challenges and situations instead of hypotheticals.

Let's use one of my clients as an example: a newly promoted executive doubling their scope of responsibilities.

During the first three months in their new role, the company had one of those “episodic business changes” that many companies undertake. And they were well supported by their CEO and HR group with regard to the overall change management.

On top of that, the business was entering their busiest period.... the team was experiencing a talent crunch... and there were subtle customer shifts that required critical decision-making to be pushed to even the most jr levels.

By leveraging personalized support through executive coaching, they were able to achieve in 6 months what for most would have taken 18 months; all without adding any additional staff. This was done by creating a semi-monthly forum to quickly test assumptions and possible approaches. They were then able to consider an array of consequences before putting things into practice. Our before-and-after review of the engagement revealed how this helped build greater confidence in navigating through uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Moreover, the insights and learning from the executive coaching are now being shared by the executive with their teams to ensure an exponential impact to the company.

Leaning Into Change Drives Results and Innovation

Investing in executive coaching is not just about individual development; it's a strategic move that can give organizations a competitive edge. Leaders who are equipped to manage continuous change can drive innovation, maintain high levels of team performance, and ensure that their organizations remain agile and responsive to market dynamics. They also foster a culture of adaptability where change is not feared, but instead is embraced as an opportunity for growth.? ?

___________________________________________________________

#LeadershipDevelopment #Leadership #ContinuousChange #ChangeManagement #ExecutiveCoaching #BusinessAgility #OrganizationalChange #Adaptability #FutureOfWork?