Employers have traditionally had a dysfunctional relationship with leading and managing change. They rank it high in importance, but low — or at the very bottom — of their actual priority list, according to Brandon Hall Group’s annual research.
The upheaval resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic caused a seismic shift. Now, our latest research shows, change management ranks #1 on the human capital management priority list for 2022. And managing change is considered the most important competency for leaders to improve.
So, what are the keys to successful change leadership?
Christina Coidakis-Barss, PhD. gained great insights from her role as lead transformation consultant for Allen Interactions. She’ll share her strategies for excellence in a webinar on Feb. 22.
One imperative that we’ll explore is stability. When employees feel safe and supported at work, they can face real-time challenges in an open, honest and constructive manner. This can be a tall order when we are surrounded by volatility and uncertainty. But, as Christina and I will discuss and illustrate, there are many sources of stability that leaders can tap into.
Collaborative and inclusive leaders will gain employees’ trust and create an environment of psychological safety. It’s also important to link changes to the organizational mission and business objectives. Establishing purpose helps employees focus on what they can do to achieve the goals.
The mission for leaders is to empower employees to be resilient and innovative by communicating and demonstrating support and staying focused on the purpose behind the change. This requires strategic thinking and strong communication. Critical questions leaders should be able to answer include:
- What business challenge will the change resolve?
- How can you take a holistic approach across the organization?
- How can you leverage data to inform and facilitate the change?
- Who can help you lead and advocate for change?
- Who will push back and challenge the change?
- What is a short, compelling ‘elevator speech’ about the change you can use to gain clarity and support?
This webinar provides you with powerful tools and insights you need to drive successful change. Christina will share lessons from the change efforts she leads and reveal a new program that increases speed-to-adoption.
Please join us for Employee-Friendly Change Leadership: Strategies for Excellence. The one-hour webinar starts at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 22. All registrants will receive a recording of the webinar and the presentation deck.
-Claude Werder, Senior VP and Principal HCM Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
