COMMON MISTAKES IN CHANGE MANAGEMENT
I love the Joe Louis quote, “Everyone Wants to Go to Heaven, but No One Wants to Die.” We want the result, but we are unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to reach our goals. Goal work is hard work. Organizations that wish to transition, change, or reach a BHAG/WIG (Big Harry Audacious Goal or Wildly Important Goal) will need a focused and prepared leader to lead the change.
Beware, Leader, there are a few mistakes that might derail your BHAG before you can achieve it!
4 Common Mistakes Leaders Make When Leading Change
INFLEXIBILITY
During periods of change within an organization, team stress will be heightened because of changes in responsibility. Therefore, the Leader needs to have a balance of grace as the organizational change is implemented. The role of the Leader is to know those she leads, their emotional highs and lows, so she can attune their emotions and create a safe work environment.
BEING TOO POSITIVE
Your team doesn’t need you, the Leader, to be pushing rainbows and unicorns. He tells the team, “EVERYTHING is GOOD,” at every meeting. We live in a broken world, and your team will need you to help them manage the good and bad of the upcoming changes.
COLLUSION
Although your team will have negative feelings during this season of transition, remember not to collude with their emotions. Validate their feelings AND continue to point them to the big picture, the compelling vision of the future. The change will require sacrifice, and that sacrifice will be worth the result.
OVERWHELMED
Feeling overwhelmed, especially when your team is feeling the pressure, might be the most challenging aspect of leading change. Therefore, you need to stay connected to your Life Team and Tech Team. When you feel an amygdala hijacking occurring, regulate it with your life team so you can get back to your pre-frontal cortex.
