Leading Change

Of the many challenges leaders face, one of the hardest is telling a group of people they need to change.  It’s even tougher when the leader who needs to convey that message is new and the team he’s communicating with is well-established.  The people receiving the message will often react defensively, assuming what they’ve done in the past is being called into question.  It’s difficult for them to accept that a leader who only recently arrived could possibly know enough to say that change is needed.  

Resistance by employees to messages about change is common and made more pronounced when leaders fail to consider the timing and delivery of their message.  New leaders especially need to think through their delivery since they haven’t established the trust or personal relationships that often soften the blow of unwelcome messages. It rarely makes sense for new leaders to announce that change is needed immediately, and it’s better to use their first few interactions with employees to introduce themselves and establish rapport.

Waiting to announce the need for change isn’t about withholding the truth from employees; it’s about choosing the right moment to share the truth so it has the best chance of being positively received.  When the message about change is delivered is just as important as how it’s delivered, and new leaders should put as much thought into timing as they do into tone.  Those who adopt a thoughtful and patient approach are most likely to lead an organization successfully through change.

Determine The Right Moment

Sometimes, news can’t wait, and circumstances force new leaders to announce major changes almost as soon as they arrive.  In these cases, leaders will need to rely on especially well-crafted words and a thoughtful delivery.  Even in cases when time is of the essence, it’s rare that a new leader would need to announce major changes immediately. Patience is often possible and usually advisable. This could mean delaying an announcement for as little as a week, giving a new leader time to engage employees and begin building relationships.

New leaders are setting themselves up for trouble if they tell employees to expect change during their first few interactions.  Announcing a change before employees get to know a leader personally can create an impression that decisions have already been made without the chance for input.  Change is a hard pill to swallow under any circumstance but more difficult to accept when announced by a new leader who doesn’t seem interested in the opinions of employees.

New leaders who announce change too soon make it seem as if they have things figured out already.  If employees perceive the leader as being overly confident, it’s difficult to overcome that first impression and ever earn the employees’ trust and confidence.  Avoiding this outcome requires leaders to focus their early engagements on establishing relationships through listening and then sharing ideas in a way that doesn’t come across as definitive.  Circumstances will dictate how long leaders have before being forced to address the need for change.  Leaders should maximize the available time, get to know employees and understand the nuances of the situation.  Every day the leader invests time in this way increases the chance that change, when it comes, is successful.

Make It About Circumstances

Sometimes an organization’s failures are driven by the laziness or incompetence of its employees. More often, failures are driven by circumstances that are beyond the control of employees. Eastman Kodak, the camera and film company, is a good example of a company overwhelmed by changing circumstances.  The company didn’t enter bankruptcy in 2012 because of the quality of its products or because its employees weren’t working hard.  It entered bankruptcy because customers no longer wanted the products it was selling.  The company missed the transition from film to digital and that wasn’t the fault of employees.  The company’s leadership was responsible for anticipating changes to the business environment and they missed the trend. 

This happens frequently, and when leaders tell employees that things need to change, they should focus on evolving circumstances rather than making it feel personal.  If a leader fails to focus on circumstances, employees are left to assume that their work is being blamed.  

It’s just as important for leaders to share the blame as it is to acknowledge circumstances rather than performance.  They should admit when an organization’s leadership could have better anticipated changing circumstances and reassure employees that what they’ve been doing was right for the circumstances as they were understood.  Leaders who share ownership of problems can disarm employees who might otherwise assume they were being unfairly blamed.

Honor The Past

Before talking about change, leaders should honor an organization’s legacy and the employees who created its past success.  New leaders especially should go out of their way to point out past success and reassure employees that their contributions over time aren’t unnoticed.  Employees who feel a sense of ownership about their organization’s past are likely to resist change unless that past is properly honored. 

When the U.S. Army withdrew from Berlin at the end of the Cold War, it wasn’t because its soldiers were failing.  The world had changed, and the Army needed to change with it.  The ceremonies and celebrations that accompanied the Army’s withdrawal honored its 50-year history of securing Berlin, and before the Army moved forward into its new era, it celebrated the people who had guided it successfully through earlier times.  It honored the past before discussing the future.  Leaders, especially new leaders at organizations on the cusp of change, should do the same. 

Commit To Listening and Collaboration

Change is always uncomfortable. It is made easier when the people who experience it believe they have a voice in the process.  It’s a leader’s job to instill this feeling by saying it explicitly and then living up to the commitment.  There’s no faster way for a leader to lose trust at the beginning of a major change than by acting without gathering input from employees.  And there’s no faster way to lose trust once change is underway than by failing to live up to a promise made about collaboration.  

Conclusion:  The Hardest Job Made Easier

Leading an organization through change is one of the hardest things a leader can do, and it’s even harder for new leaders who arrive close to the moment when change becomes necessary.  How a leader frames change, and when that leader introduces the need for change, will determine whether buy-in is earned or resistance caused.  By choosing the right moment, honoring the past, committing to collaboration, and tying the need for change to circumstances rather than individual performance, leaders can make a tough job more manageable.  More importantly, they can help their organizations succeed.    

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Colin Pascal is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C.  He lives in Annapolis with his wife Caroline, his daughter Claire and his son Casey.

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