A common assumption is that leaders are on board with a change happening within the organization; but this is not an accurate assumption. Leaders need time to come to terms with change just as any other employee does. This is particularly true when a particular leader is not the one initiating the change, but rather the change may have been initiated by a more senior leader in the organization.
We cannot, therefore, assume that leaders are on board with change. When talking to leaders about change, consider the fact that they may not be on board and ask questions that will get at whether they are a champion or resistant to the change. For example, you might ask:
- What are your perceptions of the change that is happening?
- How will it impact you? The work you do? And, the work of your employees?
- What concerns you about the direction in which we are heading?
- What would you like to know about the change that will enable you to better discuss what is happening with your employees?
It is essential to have leaders on board prior to engaging employees on the change initiative ahead. We rely on leaders to help drive adoption of change and that requires them to come to terms with the change themselves, first.
When a leader is resisting change, ask them what they would do differently. What is stopping them from supporting the change? The goal is to understand why they are resisting. While as humans we don’t necessarily like change, we don’t usually resist just to be difficult. Resistance comes when we don’t have enough information or do not see the value of the change for ourselves. We may not understand how we are getting from the “now” to the “future.” The path just isn’t clear. When we address these concerns, we address the resistance.
Get your leaders on board with change. Join the Leading Organizational Change Cohort at Strategic HR at Mt. Washington in October to frame change in a way that speaks to leaders…and all employees.
