What kind of leadership can conduct successful change?
The key leadership competencies are still all about leading people. According to respondents in the study, change processes are often well prepared but leaders tend to neglect the human side of change. So if you truly want to achieve change successfully, you must try to engage everyone involved.
With regard to people, you need to:
- Remove any barriers to the success of your staff. These barriers may be personal (wounded egos or a sense of loss) or professional (crucial elements here are the time and resources dedicated to the change plan). If you focus exclusively on results, your employees probably will not support the change as much as you would need.
- Persuade key stakeholders. Typically these include board members, chief executives, important clients … the vision of the change must be communicated to them. Trying to avoid certain stakeholders is not a good sign; instead, try your best to influence them.
- Learn. You must not assume you already know all the answers. Gather formal and informal feedback because such input will allow you to make adjustments as the change progresses. Therefore, it is essential to have accurate information.
-jk-