How do leaders work through endings and new beginnings at the same time? part #2

After the first two stages of transition management which I wrote about last week, there are three more stages. The third stage is called “In the Neutral Zone.” While the endings are uncomfortable and difficult in stage two, the in-between time can just feel weird on one level. In simple terms, the old ways of doing things are gone, but the new way is not fully operational. In essence, people feel caught between what was and will be. As a result, anxiety rises.

The most common behaviors one will see in the neutral zone are people becoming self-protective, and focused on just coping day to day. Old problems resurface, and people can become polarized. This happens, I believe, because leaders send mixed signals about change and people are worried about what is coming next.

When meeting with leaders during this stage, I regularly explain that listening in a respectful manner is very important. In particular, listen to understand rather than to respond or defend. Furthermore, try and understand how they are seeing the process as a follower rather than how you are seeing it as a leader.

As for yourself, recognize that the role of the leader may change as well. Be prepared for this depth of work by asking yourself this question: What do I need to let go of? 

The fourth stage of transition management is called “During the New Beginning.” Here leaders and followers focus on the outcomes, not just the details. Key performance indicators become very important. Leaders need to reward new behaviors and attitudes and remember that people are trying out new behaviors and perspectives. Understand that followers may have different needs than leaders as they discover new identities and a new sense of purpose. They may even rediscover the original mission or purpose of the organization.

The fifth and final stage is called “After the Transition”. Most leaders do not pay attention to this stage because they are focused on getting on to the next change. The best leader recognize the importance of this stage and always do an after action report and/or lessons learned debriefing given all that has happened. Margaret Wheatley in her book, Who do We Choose to Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity (Berrett-Koehler, 2017), explains that the core elements of an after action report (AAR) are the following:

- Priority is given to the process. No matter what, time is made available to learn from the crisis or situation.

- Everyone who was part of the action or crisis is present and expected to contribute.

- Rank and hierarchy don’t matter: it is acknowledged that everyone has something of potential value to contribute.

-The process is disciplined. Specific questions are asked in order. Facilitation is needed to ensure that only one question is answered at a time and that each person speaks without being contradicted or challenged.

- Learnings are recorded in some form. They are available as lessons learned for the benefit of others.

- The value of learning is visible in consequent actions. People feel smarter and gain confidence that they can deal with the next crisis.

As she continues, the four questions of an AAR (to be asked in this order) are the following:

- What just happened?

- Why do you think it happened?

- What can we learn from this?

- How will we apply these learnings?

This week, review the final three stages of transition management. For more information about managing transitions, read the following book: Bridges, William. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, (Da Capo Press, 2003). I also encourage you to conduct an AAR so people learn from the past rather than repeat the same problems from previous major change cycles.

Quote For The Week: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How do leaders work through endings and new beginnings at the same time? part #1

Right now, so many people are feeling overwhelmed by the pace of organizational change with all of the endings and beginnings happen at the same time. Our challenge as leaders is to differentiate between change management and transition management. Change management is situational and outcome focused, i.e. the destination. Transition management, on the other hand, is psychological, personal and emotional, i.e. the endings. As the late William Bridges wrote, “Transition is different. The starting point for transition is not the outcome but the ending that you will have to make to leave the old situation behind.” Transitions start with an ending and finishes with a new beginning. The hard part about this is that it starts with letting go of the old ways, the old identity, and dealing with losses.

There are five stages within transition management and the leader's role in each stage is important. The first stage is “Before the Transition.” Here, you as the leader know that change is in the works. When thinking about this stage, realize most employees do not know that change is coming and are mostly focused on making sure the day to day operations are working well.  So, the first step as a leader in this stage is to figure out how to sell the problems that lead you and others to feel that change is the best solution.

The challenge to doing this level of work is to remember that the problem is defining the problem. Some people will see the problem as technical and others as adaptive. Your goal as the leader is to define the problem in a clear and concise manner. To help you prepare your thoughts, put them in writing. In specific, write a one minute speech about what the problems are that lead you to deciding to make change happen. Next, put together a one minute speech about why it is necessary now given how busy every one is. Then, practice giving these two speeches and ask for feedback so clarity can be achieved.

While you work on your two speeches, I also encourage you to assess the level of trust in the organization's leaders. Remember that there are three levels of trust: personal, strategic and organizational. Once change has been initiated, trust will be stretched and challenged. Recognize that you can give everyone a voice but not a vote in what is taking place.

Another step in preparing yourself and the organization is to visit with key leaders on a one to one level. Start by checking about their clarity for why the organization must change. And then, why it must happen now. Check also on the leadership competencies of key positional leaders. Everyone who is mission critical to success should have the ability to communicate well and cascade information well. They need to be good transactional and transformational coaches and understand data based decision-making. If you are struggling with team work issues, review the material from the following book: Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Jossey-Bass, 2002. It has good diagnostic material inside of it.

The second stage of transition management is called “During the Ending.” Here, all involved have learned that change is taking place. Now we are seeing people let go of the old ways, let go of identity as defined by the old way of doing things and dealing with the losses. We as leaders need to remember that loss is a subjective, personal experience while leadership is objective.

During the ending stage, do not overreact to resistance and opposition. Instead, frame it up as a form of feedback. Recognize that it is normal for people to resist the loss of clarity, connections, confidence, control and their understanding of the definition of success. You will also see grieving behaviors, e.g. anger, bargaining, anxiety, sadness, disorientation, and depression.

As you and others move through this stage, continue to define what is and what is not over. Always treat the past with respect, and show how the endings ensure the continuity of what really matters.

This week, reflect on the first two stages of transition management and teach those around you about it. This will help with short term issues and long term results.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Manage Endings and New Beginnings

I was surprised when they called and asked me to come and teach a workshop called "Coping With Chaos."

Being a small urban hospital in the central part of the United States, they had been achieving moderate success by expanding their services with new clinics to meet the needs of their aging community. They also had focused on becoming more user friendly with a higher level of patient/customer service.

"What happened?" I inquired.

"We are going through a very rough time," the head of HR replied. "We experienced a time period of low census, and some people in executive positions panicked due to the numbers. So we closed one wing of the hospital and merged the medical and surgery floors for a more efficient use of our resources. I hope you can come soon.”

Fortunately, my schedule had an opening, and I agreed to come.

The morning I arrived to teach, I was surprised to find only 18 floor nurses at the workshop. I was told that I would be seeing 20-30 supervisors and part of the management team, along with only a couple of floor staff. As the day progressed, however, management never showed up, and only one supervisor dropped in for 35 minutes over lunch.

About an hour or so into the workshop, the root of the problem surfaced. Many of the floor nurses had not been against closing the wing; they simply wished it had been done in a respectful manner. As one veteran nurse of 19 years put it, "I came on shift at 11:00 p.m. at night to find a sign posted on the door of the wing of the hospital. It read: ‘Closed. Report to Third South. If you have any questions, put them in writing to the Nursing Executive before 7 am.’ We knew that the census was low. We just wish we had been included in the decision-making process and treated with respect.

"It was obvious once it had happened, that management had been thinking about this change for quite some time before they did it. Around here, nothing moves particularly fast. Why couldn't they have provided us with advance warning, or asked us for our insights into formulating these changes? We would have helped, but this method of decision making doesn't exactly encourage trust and participation.”

As we progressed, many feelings came out that needed to be expressed. So I pushed my teaching notes aside, and we dove in. But it was during lunch that the real healing began.

"We know what is most important," one floor nurse began, "Our patients and their care. We are willing to work hard. We just ask for a little more support and kindness. I guess we will have to start by supporting each other." Through hugs, tears, and open sharing, they worked through the changes and moved on.

At the end of the day, I reported what had taken place during the workshop to the HR Director. Her response was: "I know that these are valid insights, but they won't change how we do things. We have to run a lean ship now that change is coming so fast."

While I could recognize the external factors that led to the decision, it was also clear to me that employees were giving their all to do the right thing for the patients. At the same time, they were being denied meaningful strategic level dialogue and input into decisions that had a direct effect on their work lives.

Remember: Leadership without strategic dialogue is demoralizing and will not transform challenges into achievements. When faced with significant challenges, leaders need to manage endings as well as new beginnings.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257