Episode 29: Leading Through Change [Part One]
Change is Personal
In order for change to be successful - we need to lead through the human side of change. All change is personal - so, let’s acknowledge that and work to help people through.
Enjoy!
Listen Here:
(The notes below are only a brief summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email request to: angie@angie-robinson.com. We’d be happy to provide that!)
We will kick off this conversation about Leading through change with this quote from the Harvard Business Review:
“Given everything that’s going on in the world today, few skills are more critical for leaders at all levels than the ability to manage change.”
I love taking the Inside Out approach to change - which is first understanding how YOU react to change - and then understanding the individuals on your team. This helps raise awareness around the fact that each person processes change differently.
Leading change is about a leader’s capacity to evolve themselves, their team and their organization to meet future needs.
Statistics show that only about 30% of change initiatives are successful. I think it has to do a lot with not focusing on the human side of change.
Let’s talk about a couple of definitions:
CHANGE:
To make (someone or something) different; alter or modify.
To replace (something) with something else, especially something of the same kind that is newer or better; substitute one thing for (another).
Examples of change that people may experience in the workplace are:
New leader
Benefit offerings
Work arrangement / location
Role / duties
Team dynamics
System change
CHANGE MANAGEMENT:
The application of a structured process and toolset for leading people through the change to achieve the desired behaviors and outcomes
A structured approach for ensuring that changes are thoroughly and smoothly implemented, and that the lasting benefits of change are achieved.
It’s really about being intentional on how change is approached.
The primary goal of change management is to successfully implement new processes, products and business strategies while minimizing negative outcomes. So of the additional benefits are:
Return on investment: One common goal of change management is to help people incorporate a change into the way they do their work, so that the change can have its desired effect.
Minimizing disruption: Some organizational changes, like acquisitions or changes in senior leadership, can leave employees feeling disoriented and insecure. Change management tools can help organizations reassure employees and get them focused on their work.
Building employee morale: When employees experience changes, even small ones, they like to know that the organization has taken their needs into account. An effective change management process can be the difference between disgruntled employees and employees who feel energized and empowered by change.
ALL change management must consider the human side of change…the ‘psychology’ of change. This is so critical in maximizing success.
I challenge you to think about your own experience with change. What is a change that you have experienced recently (in or outside of work)? Ask yourself:
What was your initial reaction to the change?
What thoughts did you have?
What feelings did you experience?
If you were ”onboard” right away – why?
If you weren’t “onboard” right away – why not?
Was the change successful (in your eyes)?
Now think of another change situation….did you react the same? Each change is unique and your reactions may be unique as well. Keep this in mind as you learn about the human side of change.
Another question for you: What reaction do you have when you see the statement “all change is personal”? A change may be described as an organizational change, but all change is personal.
The only person who gets to decide how ‘personal’ something is is the person themself. And if there is any type of impact due to the change – which there almost always is – it becomes personal to that person! It is critical to consider the personal impact on those affected, and their journey (including your own) towards working and behaving in new ways to support the change. Always ask the question – what are the perceived losses this person might be experiencing? We all will see a change through our own set of lenses. What is a big deal to me might not be a big deal to you. And there is no right or wrong. As leaders – we need to appreciate the lens that our employees are seeing the change through. We can help guide through sharing different perspectives – but we should not minimize the employee’s view.
Transitions
We’ve been using the word ‘change’ a lot so far. However, for the human side of change – there is actually another term that matters. That is “transition”. This is based on the work of William Bridges (author, speaker, OD consultant) who create the Transitions Model. His book is linked below.
There is a subtle difference between change and transition. It is important that for people, the processing through a change goes beyond the actual change itself. Change is something that happens to people, even if they don't agree with it. Transition, on the other hand, is internal: it's what happens in people's minds as they go through change. Change can happen very quickly, while transition usually occurs more slowly.
Change is situational (i.e., move to a new office, a new boss, the reorganization of a team, a new system or process). Transition is psychological (the process people go through as they internalize and come to terms with the details of the new situation that changes brings about). Getting people through the transition is essential if the change is actually to work as planned
Let’s look at how transitions work. There are three phases: endings, neutral zone and new beginnings.
Phase One (Endings): This is when letting go of old ways and the old identity people had takes place. It is the time when you need to help people to deal with their losses.
Phase Two (Neutral Zone): In this phase - people go through an in-between time when the old is gone but the new isn’t fully operational. It’s when the critical psychological realignments and repatternings take place. Anxiety rises and motivation falls, people become resentful and protective, self-doubting, less productive and may be absent more often.
“It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear….It’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.” – Marilyn Ferguson, American Futurist
Phase Three (New Beginnings): In this phase - people are coming out of the transition and making a new beginning. This is when people develop the new identity, experience the new energy, and discover the new sense of purpose that make the change begin to work.
With change, you naturally focus on the outcome that the change produces. Transition is different. The starting point for dealing with transition is not the outcome but the ending that you’ll have to make to leave the old situation behind.
Unmanaged transition makes change unmanageable.
With transitions, there are not clear boundaries. Each of these three processes starts before the preceding one is totally finished. That is why you are likely to be in more than one of these phases at the same time and why the movement through transition is marked by a change in the dominance of one phase over the other two rather than an absolute shift from one to the other.
And - people can be in more than one phase for multiple changes.
Here are some helpful tips:
Identify what is actually ending, and who is losing what
Tell them what is over and what is not
Expect and accept the signs of grieving
Acknowledge the losses openly and sympathetically
Remember - loss is subjective – your point of view is irrelevant
Mark the endings (dramatize them)
Treat the past with respect (don’t ridicule the old way of doing things)
Episode 30 will continue the conversation: Leading Through Change Part Two!
What do you think?
Do you consider the human side of change in your leadership?
What one thing from this episode will shift the way you lead?
Links
William Bridges book: Transitions - Making Sense of Life’s Changes
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