101 Tips: Leading in Times of Change

These tips were collected during an e-mail game called "Leading in a period of change: 101 Tips".

Communicating Change

1. Inform people on a regular basis of what you know (of course), but also (and at least as important) what you don't know. For example: we'll move to a new building in spring, but I don't know yet where we will have our offices or how much space we'll get. This creates transparancy.

2. Don't promise things you can't realise, or things that are uncertain.

3. Explain again and again what the goal is of the change, why it is happening, and what its end result should be. This allows people to be proactive, think along, make suggestions and help to bring them into practice. Nothing is as frustrating as a change which doesn't make sense to you, or that just happens to you.

23. Set clear goals. Change is a process that triggers emotional resistance. If team members feel that their boss knows where he/she is going, they can more easily adapt to the process. If their job is at stake or worse, this also helps them to bear the process more easily (Aurum)

27. Treat objections with respect. Team members give their reactions because they want to bring a message. Maybe we don't want to hear that message. Maybe we have a different opinion and are right. Maybe we really know better. Still it is most effective to recognise the remark and the team member voicing it, before responding to it. (Aurum)

28. When communicating change, make sure to explain what will change specifically (and what won't), as well as the higher goal, the vision behind the change. In this way, people get an idea of the impact the change will have on them personally (the specific level) as well as the direction the company chooses to go. When you only tell them about the vision, they'll worry what exactly will change. When you only explain the specifics, you'll certainly get the question: why, what purpose does this serve? (Werner Küper)

30. Communicate clearly what you expect from your people. What do you need their help for? Of course this can be different for each person. And ask them what they expect from you. What support do they need and can you offer? In this way, you support one another and demonstrate that they don't have to face the challenge on their own. (Werner Küper)

33. At the beginning of a change process, there often is some uncertainty about what is already known, what isn't, and what goes round through the grapevine. So make sure to tell your team members clearly what you know (already), and what you don't, which elements haven't been decided yet, are being negotiated,... For whom will there be change and for whom not? (Werner Küper)

34. During (large) change processes, often there are a lot of rumous going round. In your team meetings, let people know which are true, and which are not. This shortcuts the trial and error processes, on which you have very limited control. (Werner Küper)

40. Use silence to let others speak. (Bart Magiels)

41. Use silence to think before you talk (Bart Magiels)

42. Find two good reasons not to voice the argument you are about to voice. (Bart Magiels)

43. Find two good reasons to voice the argument you are about to voice. (Bart Magiels)

52. Avoid the "Whoops-effect". Provide explicite and clear communication. Organise visible and transparant risk management. Let the sponsor, the stakeholders and the team know what the risks are and how much you can control them. Ask for action from the stakeholders early on and make it explicit, before panic arrises. (Aurum)

Motivate your team

4. Listen to the concerns of your team members. Often it is important to just listen to them, and to let them know that you understand (or maybe share) their concerns.

5. Create a space and moment for your team members to explicitely ask questions, share ideas or be informed about upcoming change. You can add it to the agenda of a weekly meeting, or talk to each one personally.

11. Make the change relevant to your employees (Tom Moortgat)

13. People first want to see why a change is necessary and become convinced for themselves. That's why I first check "what's in it for that person" and have them tell that to me, in stead of me telling or suggesting it to them. How? I show a list of possible reasons (self development, extra free time, less stress, more pleasure, more creativity, helping others better, etc.) that change in every situation, and I ask everyone individually (even in a group session) to pick the reason that's the most important to them, and then explain that briefly. After that I can add and explore further with the group if I wish. (Didier De Backer)

20. explain the benefits of the change to the team, and 'future pace' (Eric Eraly)

21. Once arrived at the end of the trajectory, celebrate the result with the team. (Eric Eraly)

26. Make sure everyone can be himself. Let worried collegues talk about their worries. Let the grumblers grumble. Repeat the reactions and discuss them. But stay in control of the meeting. People each have their own character, and cooperate in their own style. Create an atmosphere that is safe enough to use the input productively. (Aurum)

32. Who in your team is most sensitive to change? Who will be the first to show signs of stress rising (too) high? By being aware of this and paying attention to it, you can more easily anticipate and correct the change process to keep it on track. (Werner Küper)

44. React positively to arguments that could be going against your leadership. From a positive attitude, only positive results can follow. (Bart Magiels)

48. Grant the team victory. When improvements have been made thanks to your input, still grant the ownership of the victory to the team. Stimulate your team to experience how it feels to be succesfull. The feeling of success tastes for more, and invites to strive for more successes. (Aurum)

50. When possible, first demonstrate how things are to be done, then let the team learn through experience, including errors. People who get the feeling that it's all pretty talking and unpractical theories may develop a lot of resistance, even when they mean well. Team members who see how things can work, are eager to get back in control. They will use more positive energy. (Aurum)

Motivate yourself

6. Protect your leisure time. In times of change their is a lot of extra work, and pressure to do overtime can be very high. You should however limit this, and also make time for relaxing, and for some sports which allow you to get rid of the stress.

7. Reframe the stressful situation. Look upon it as an interesting challenge, an opportunity to profile, or a change to do something completely different. The change may well be unavoidable, being stressed by it is certainly not. It all depends on how you perceive it.

16. As a leader, know your outcome. Visualise the outcome for yourself and your team members. (Eric Eraly)

17. Make sure you are in 'top condition', both physically and mentally, to lead the team through the change process. (Eric Eraly)

36. Sometimes during a change process, we get the feeling that we're on our own… So as a leader, ask yourself what you need to be succesful in this change process, and make sure to communicate this clearly to your boss: what do you need from him (or her), what kind of support do you want, which decision, which communication, which action... You'll be supported as a change leader, and your boss becomes more involved in the change process. (Werner Küper)

Motivate the stakeholders

35. Which resistance do you expect during the change process? Map them, and check with your team which bottlenecks, problems and challenges they perceive. These can be at different levels: at a personal level ("I don't want to move to a different building"), process level ("This means we'll have to turn around our working procedures"), product level ("the software we are currently using is not suitable"),... Some simple, basic techniques to structure this are Ishikawa (fishbone)-diagram and Mindmap. (Werner Küper)

37. At the first meeting where stakeholders are to be convinced, make sure those are present who you expect to be most resistant to the change. To convince them, prepare a list of advantages and - if possible/needed - the support of higher management. Getting these people on the rails is often the most difficult and worthwhile cliff to be taken. (Steven Eeman)

45. In a change process, identify wether the creator/author of the existing/previous procedure are still working in the company. If they are, involve them early on in the change. They have expertise on the subject, and there cooperation often proves crucial. When not involved, they may boycot your initiative. (Koenraad De Bruyne)

46. A change is not always 100% improvement for everyone or all levels of the organisation. For people in a department where it will NOT bring improvement, a lot more explanations are needed about the reasons for the change and the benefits it will bring. (Koenraad De Bruyne)

49. Make sure the team talks about their successes with management and with their peers. A change process that doesn't celebrate successes, suffocates through lack of oxygen. Success that is seen, shines even more, and encourages the team to go the extra mile next time. (Aurum)

Visioning the road

12. Step into the shoes of a customer for whom important things went wrong. Write down how he experienced the visible shortcomings of the system. Now organise a worksession with your teammembers, and go through your notes. Have your team members think about other visible shortcomings. Together determine the most important changes to be planned for the organisation. (Tom Moortgat)

22. Create a vision for where you want to go and how you are going to get there. (Wilma Slenders)

25. Have a weekly meeting "lessons learned". These meetings have a strong effect. People discover how they can realise things within the new process. Hearing your collegues' succes stories is empowering and convincing. (Aurum)

31. Have a weekly meeting "lessons learned". These meetings have a strong effect. People discover how they can realise things within the new process. Hearing your collegues' succes stories is empowering and convincing. (Werner Küper)

39. Work visually and analytically when informing your team members. It really helps when you show the different steps visually, and then indicate the progress throughout the process. Make sure to include enough detail, so that you can highlight progress every (one or two) weeks. (Annemie Goedeme)

51. Find an influential sponsor. Change tends to bring resistance and scepticism. The environment will try to keep things at a status-quo. A top sponsor will keep the team outside the eye of the storm. The team then gets enough time to bring results before the pressure rises too high. (Aurum)

Techniques and processes

8. Make a stakeholder analysis and map who benefits from the change, who is involved and who impacts the decisions or the actions. This provides you with insights on the different stakeholders, and shows you who to talk to, in order to get things moving in the right direction.

14. Be mindful of the details (Denis Morbin)

15. Look before you leap (Denis Morbin)

18. Go step by step, and make sure all team members are on board. (Eric Eraly)

19. Check frequently if you're still on track. If not, correct. (Eric Eraly)

24. Frequently discuss the road that has been travelled already. Team members feel respected when the road travelled is discussed. They feel supported when they know what went well, and what will have to change. (Aurum)

29. Be aware that there are three modes of decision-making: hierarchical, cooperative and autonomous. In more easy language: what do I do (hierarchical)? What do we do (cooperative)? And what do you/they do (autonomous)? One example: suppose you and your team move to new offices, do you decide who sits where, do you decide that together with the team, or do you let them decide (within certain boundaries)? (Werner Küper)

38. know that there are plenty of techniques and tools you can use to facilitate change. But also know that the PEOPLE you are working with, can not always be fit into a theory. So make sure to notice when PERSONAL coaching or follow-up is needed and let the theories be for the moment in order to concentrate on the PEOPLE. Because without them, there won't be any change! (Annemie Goedemé)

Books and websites

9. At www.change-management-toolbook.com you'll find a description of many interesting techniques and methods to facilitate the change process for your team.

10. Read the "Managing Change Pocketbook" van Neil Russell-Jones, which contains a short description and overview of change management.