Leading an organisation through change
Tools & Resources
Key learnings
- Those who are quick to adapt are the businesses that thrive. This involves frequently making changes and overseeing projects that adapt your organisation.
- Having a core operational team of people that you can communicate your requests, concerns, and strategies to will be crucial in leading your organisation through change.
- By learning how to balance constraints and influences when managing a project, you will become a better leader.
Leading through change is all about motivating and supporting your people to move in a new direction. Good leaders give people the information they need to understand the changes and the reasons for them, as well as the tools they need to adapt. Here, UMi partner In Professional Development (InPD) shares five actionable attributes every leader needs to have if they are going to be able to guide their business through change.
A great deal of pressure comes with the role of being a leader. People depend on you. Their jobs depend on you, their livelihoods depend on you, and their career aspirations depend on you. Therefore, making the right decisions is key.
Not only do you have to consider what is best for yourself when making decisions, you need to consider what is best for all your employees within the organisation.
It is inevitable that changes will be made during your tenure as the leader of your organisation. Throughout your leadership, you will navigate your organisation smoothly through these changes by managing multiple projects unilaterally. You will do so with the aim of causing minimal disruption to the company and evolving your organisation to keep ahead of changes within your industry.
Here are five actionable attributes that you will need as a leader to be able to guide your organisation through changes.
1
Problem solving
Problems arising during change is as inevitable as the changes themselves.
As a leader, your priority here is to focus on solutions, and not dwelling on the problem.
Your strength as a leader will increase as the more flexible, resilient, and innovative you become. Adapting and overcoming is the key to success in business as well as in life.
2
Effective communication
As a leader, it is advisable for you to have a close group of colleagues within your organisation who you trust, regardless of job titles. Having a core operational team of people that you can communicate your requests, concerns, and strategies to will be crucial in leading your organisation through change.
When managing projects, continuous and clear communication with your team is essential, and open feedback in all directions is necessary to navigate these changes and to make projects succeed.
3
Lead by example
Culture within an organisation is dictated from the top down. Employees are likely to be influenced by the behaviour of their managers and leaders when at work. So, you should consider what kind of culture you want your company to have during these transition periods.
For leading your organisation through changes, we recommend creating an adaptive, open, and flexible culture. This environment is conducive to productivity and being able to effectively navigate these changes.
By embodying these characteristics as a leader, you will greatly influence the culture of your organisation, priming it for productivity and enabling it to be adaptive to change.
4
Strategy dictates action
When a passionate leader approaches a project, their temptation is to act fast. They want to see an immediate result. However, it is advised that you approach the project tactically.
By capitalising on the initial stages of a project to devise in-depth plans and strategies, you are ensuring the success of the project.
5
An agile approach
The best way to navigate changes and to effectively manage projects within your organisation is by adopting an agile approach.
By learning how to balance constraints and influences when managing a project, you will be able to utilise multiple strategies and approaches to better manage and lead programmes and changes, making you a better leader.
If you would like to find out more about the attributes needed to effectively lead an organisation through change, and to learn all the necessary strategies in project management, enquire about InPD’s Agile Project Leadership Programme here. This programme is run in association with the University of York.
Next steps...
- Expand your knowledge and skills with a 15% discount by enrolling on one of InPD’s professional development courses.
- Learn more about leading an organisation through change by reading UMi’s article on business resilience and continuity.