Dealing With Continuous Change - part #1

In this economy, recruiting and retaining the right people, creating the right organizational structure, and building the right culture has become mission critical to implementing strategy throughout the organization. However many are struggling with the above because they have to do it in the midst of constant change.

Here are a few observations of why this is happening. First, many leaders are not managing the intensity of change. Right now, employees feel overwhelmed. Change just keeps coming and coming. And before one thing is finished we have to start all over again due to a variety of factors, like an upgrade in software or a change in regulations. At the same time, we also may need to start some new project given pressing demands by senior management, customers or employees. As I noted at the Fall 2014 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable, change has shifted from being episodic to continuous even though we have continued to frame it up as episodic. While many frame change as a “one and done,” most recognize that organizational change is now dynamic and continuous now. It truly is the trough of chaos within a sideways cyclone.

Next, employees are emotionally exhausted by the amount of unknowns. The outcome of there being too many variables to process and too few people to share their feelings and thoughts with about them is a singular focus on operational compliance. Routinely now, I am seeing more and more leaders who just need time to think. Some have told me the structured unstructured time during executive coaching sessions where they can share, reflect and think is essential to their success right now.

At the same time, employees are afraid of change and even more afraid of transformation. While change is about doing things better, and transformation is about doing things new and different, many people are afraid of all of it, because it is messy and often involves loosing control. 

Furthermore, many leaders have lost their ability to inspire others. This is happening because employees have been offered false optimism with little realism in the past. They have been pushed without support. And they have seen their leaders act with little, if any, authenticity or genuine respect. 

This week reflect on these observations and make sure your natural impulses for control, order and predictability don’t shut people down who are dealing with continual change or transformation.

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

Managing the Intensity of Change

Currently, people in management and leadership positions are overwhelmed by change. It is happening at the strategic and the operational levels at the same time. And it keeps coming hard and fast with little time to finish one thing before another starts.

As I noted at the Fall 2014 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable, change has shifted from being episodic to continuous even though we as leaders have continued to frame it up as episodic. Rather than thinking of organizational change as a “one and done,” we now need to focus on it being dynamic and continuous.

The result is that people are emotionally exhausted by the amount of unknowns. Every day, there are too many variables to process, and too few people to share one’s feelings and thoughts about it all. The upshot is that many are now focusing on operational compliance rather than strategic clarity.

When people are feeling overwhelmed and clearly feeling outside their comfort zones, I have taught for decades that leaders need to create a strong team, offer strategic perspective, and develop a safety zone so in-depth and thoughtful strategic level dialogue can take place. The challenge is that most leaders are too busy to take the time to reflect, and think and engage with others in constructive strategic dialogue.

The solution to this situation is to sign up for the Spring 2015 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. Here, you will discover a fine group of dedicated leaders who are more than willing to step back from the day to day intensity and engage with you in thoughtful and meaningful dialogue about what is and what is not working. Consider it your personal think tank where creative and effective ideas and solutions are explored and developed.

Now is the time to register yourself and your team for this powerful learning opportunity. Here is the agenda for your review:

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

8:30 am - Registration

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How do leaders deal with continuous strategic and operational changes at the same time?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How do leaders create a mission driven, core-value led culture?

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch and Networking 

1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How do leaders distinguish between when to build teams and when to build single-leader work groups?

2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How do leaders hold people accountable?

4:30 pm - Adjourn

Thursday, April 9, 2015

9:00 am - 10:15 am - How does one lead with executive presence?

10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

12:00 pm - Adjourn

Location: Courtyard in West Des Moines/Clive, Iowa.

And here is the link to the registration form:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2015-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf

I look forward to your participation as we all learn new and better ways to manage the intensity of change.

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