Are You a Change Leader?

8/12/2019

Every month I lead Roundtables for women leading at the Director and VP level who are leading change. We focus on three key areas: implementing strategy, leading change and retaining/developing talent.

Recently, June Klaphake was a guest presenter. June is an experienced change consultant. She shared insights and wisdom gained from consulting with a wide range of organizations and leaders taking on major change initiatives.

What we appreciated most about June is her authenticity and willingness to share both challenges and successes. She was a wealth of information.

What stood out for me was realizing that one of the most important perspectives leaders can take during a change initiative (which is basically constant these days) is to be open to new perspectives and be willing to adjust on a regular basis. It’s important to have a vision of where you are going, and at the same time to know and expect that the path will not be smooth. During change, it’s vital to allow new information to come forward, respond to that information in a thoughtful way and provide guidance and inspiration to those you are leading.

I’m always stressing to my coaching clients, and to the women leaders in the Roundtables, the importance of taking time to step back and reflect and think strategically. I know it’s hard to do, especially when it seems like there are not enough hours in the day. HOWEVER, stepping back is key to staying grounded, gaining clarity and lowering stress.

Whether you are a sponsor leading a change initiative in your organization or you are a leader who is an influencer helping to implement the change, here are a few insights from June that you may find helpful:

Listening during change is the secret sauce. When people feel heard, they are more likely to commit to what it takes to make the needed changes.
Being Resilient, which means responding and adjusting quickly so you and your organization stay nimble.
Asking Questions to measure progress and make adjustments such as:
- What’s our next small step?
- What are we learning?
- Are we closer to our goal?
- Is this still where we want to go?
Clarifying Roles because clear roles reduce friction. Have conversations around roles. People need to know what is expected of them so they can engage and step up.
Remaining Open to the unexpected while holding a clear vision. With each step of the change process, new things are discovered and uncovered. What you learn could make the difference between success and failure.

To increase the chance of success during a change initiative, make sure these three things are present:

1.   Leadership/Sponsorship: One key leader provides critical guidance and governance, and a “coalition of sponsors” across the groups affected by the change help to lead and influence.
2.   Project Management: PM gives structure to the technical side of the change.
3.   Change Management: Supports the people side of the change.

The Prosci ADKAR model is a helpful way to remember the steps needed to make successful change happen:

Awareness of the need for change.
Desire to participate.
Knowledge on how to change.
Ability to implement new skills and behavior.
Reinforcement to sustain.

A big thank you to June Klaphake for her time and for helping us think about ways we can step into our next level of impact as leaders of change!

If you’d like more information about the Executive Women’s Change Leadership Roundtable, go to https://www.wiseleader.net/executive-womens-change-leadership-roundtables.html
Or contact Dr.Rita Webster at Rita@wiseleader.net or 612-598-6614. Applications are now being accepted for the 2020 program year.

Change is all around us. Below are resources to help keep up with the latest research and change practices.

The Minnesota Change Management Network https://www.mncmn.org They host monthly Change Summits where change topics are presented and discussed. I have found them to be very informative.

John Kotter is known as the change guru. To learn more about his research, go to https://www.kotterinc.com/research-and-perspectives/ or watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QWiMkXyTP4