How many of you hold back on bringing change to your team out of fear? Your fear may be anything from simply wasted effort all the way to a fear of someone quitting. I think mostly this fear is unfounded but, to the degree it is valid, as a leader, you have the ability to address the issue successfully.
Why do I think it's unfounded? Well, there is evidence all around you that your employees are willing to change. How many of them use smartphones? How many of them are engaged in social networks – Facebook or LinkedIn? Those may seem like small changes, but they are changes nonetheless. These changes are also evidence of your employees' ability and willingness to change when they know it will benefit them and they can clearly see a path to follow toward their new behavior.
Which brings us back to your role as the leader. When introducing change, it is important to take the time to communicate to every one of your employees (directly or indirectly depending on the size of your organization) three things:
- Why the change is necessary from the perspective of the organization
- How it will ultimately benefit them directly
- A plan of change that they will see as manageable
Sure, they may not like your change as much as they do their own, and some of them may even quit as a result of your change. But go back to point one, why the change is necessary for your organization. If the change is truly necessary and some employees leave, your organization will be better off in the long run.
Give them a chance to try it. Give them a reason. Lead them there.
Photo by nexusplexus
