If you’re a leader, chances are that you’re tasked with leading your team through some significant changes. It can be difficult to do that as you’re trying to deal with the change for yourself as well. Here are a couple of things that can help you manage a team through change:
- Set the direction It’s helpful to define metrics to monitor the operations. There’s likely to be disruption, the main goal is to contain it so it doesn’t impact morale and productivity. Keep a list of priorities and make them clear at each stage.
- Communicate the main factors driving the change Let your employees know what’s happening and why. That way they get a better understanding of the big picture.
- Analyse the current state of the organisation as well as each team Discuss the position of the organisation in terms of operations, finances and organisational structure. Brainstorm with your team how they can support the change through agility, resourcefulness, pro-activeness, empathy and keep moving forward.
- Engage your team As a committed leader, you automatically help your team through the transition. Keep asking for feedback and engage them. Set up the team for success, then give them the autonomy to do so.
- Empower Decision-making Invite dialogue, seek input, share initial strategies to build upon, be transparent and explicit.
- Visualise the desired future state Share what you envision the future state to be like once change has happened and what the impact will be.
- Nurture talent Match your employees’ career goals with upcoming opportunities. Include everyone in brainstorm sessions and give everyone the opportunity to be more involved.
- Keep moving the team forward Clear goals and targets are a good start but keep pushing the team to move forward. Clear “stucks”, simplify hard topics, and motivate everyone in the team to keep going.
- Share success and failure Open communication stays key throughout the whole process of change, so stay transparent about successes as well as failures.
Here’s to leaders who successfully manage their teams through change!
PS: here are some adequate solutions to help with change management.
