Leadership Don'ts for Change Management Implementation

Change management for any business, large or small, is very difficult. Not only are most leaders and employees entrenched in their roles and positions, but leaders often find themselves caught in a need to change, but no real direction or model to make the change.

One of the main fears in implementing change management for most people is that someone or a group is going to lose control and another person or group is going to gain control. This article will address some of the areas that, as a leader you will want to take into consideration when implementing change.

Vision and Objectives

Have a clear vision and objective for your group and communicate these often to your entire group. Whether you have a small staff or are a large corporation, your entire staff must have a personal investment in the change you are proposing and be given good reasons for why the changes are needed. Do not assume that the staff who are not seen regularly don't need to have a personal investment in your success, this is a huge mistake that many leaders who have lost the change battle have made. Remember, a clear vision and objectives that are understood and supported by every member of your team will greatly ensure your success in creating a positive change.

Books on Change Management

Books of any kind that increase your knowledge and understanding of processes are great. But don't make the fatal error of assuming that what is written in a particular book, or series of books, is "the way to go." Make sure that you have a clear understanding of your company's policies and procedures, that you understand and can function in the political environment of your company and that you have adapted the usable portions of the book or article to meet your needs.

Too often, I have seen leaders skim a book, like what they see and try to implement the suggested changes without giving enough consideration to our first and primary consideration. Without active participation and personal investment from your staff, the changes you try to implement will at best provide temporary change and at worst, cause a severe morale issue within your department or organization.

Maps

Books and articles, such as this one, are suggestions. They are not meant to be the last word on the subject discussed. A good book or article will make you think about how an idea may be adapted to your situation and assist in your success. If you read a book or article that states that if you follow a set of simple directions you will be successful, you are reading pure fiction. One size does not fit all and, you definitely should not put the "directions" into practice without some serious thought about how those suggestions are going to affect your staff.

I once saw a leader who read a set of books and tried to implement every item. Unfortunately the person had not read the part about buy-in and participation on the part of the leader. What resulted was a total lack of buy-in from the team and the entire department degenerated into a war zone with battles for control taking place daily. Where was the leader? Well, this one had thought that by following all of the books directions the department would take care of itself so this leader was absent. Unfortunately, a leader cannot lead vicariously from a distance. Leadership requires hands-on effort and change management requires even more time on-site and hand-on than you would normally expect.

Confidantes

It is unfortunate when change management is required that some leaders cannot assume the responsibility for implementing the change, but instead depend on an aide or confidante to attempt to force the change on staff or drive the project. This does not work. Leaders who are only leaders when things are going well are really not leaders, they are figure heads. Unfortunately, for the purposes of implementing change, figure heads are not effective.

We all need to have a confidante, someone to bounce ideas off of, to complain to, or vent about our challenges. The very worst thing you, as a leader, can do is to have a confidante in a position within your organization or in a position perceived by your staff to be one of authority. I once saw a confidante continually berate the leader of an organization. Staff were literally terrified of this person since the individual was perceived to have the ear of the leader and was in a position of authority. It was not only threatening to staff, but demoralizing and when highly qualified staff joined the organization they soon left because the leader was not leading and the confidante was not a leader but perceived as abusive.

As a leader you do not want to be perceived as someone who cannot make your own decisions, or stand by decisions once they are made. You also do not want to be perceived as someone who takes direction from your confidante and shares confidential information with that person. The result will be that you only hear about issues or concerns after they have gone to the level above you. It is one thing to let your staff know your vision and objectives and participate in the change management process. It is another thing to hide in the office while your confidante runs the show. For one thing, if the confidante could be a leader in an organization, they would be, don't put yourself in the position of being judged for the actions of your confidante because you have allowed that person to run amok.

If you are a leader who has a person in place that plays this role, it is vital that to save your organization you move that person as rapidly as possible to a different department or in some other way distance yourself from them. They will do an unbelievable amount of damage to not only your organization, but also your personal career.

Passion

If you are not passionate about what you are doing, or if you are not passionate about the change you are implementing then you should seriously rethink trying to implement change management. Your staff will reflect your passion. If you are not passionate about what you do it will not only be reflected from you to your staff, but also from your staff to your customers. Passion is something that we cannot "fake." You either love what you do or you don't. If you are in a position that is very comfortable and you can tolerate the job you have, you will have a lot of problems implementing any kind of change within your organization. Unfortunately, that kind of leader generally has staff who are very comfortable in their positions and tolerating their jobs as well. It is important that you take the pulse of your passion. If you have lost the passion for your position, then you need to find it and hold on to it to create any kind of environment that will be conducive to change.

If you are not passionate about what you do, and never have been, then you need to rethink your career goals. Perhaps it is time to look at other opportunities that will afford you the challenge you need as well as fulfill the passion that is so vital to being an outstanding leader. But whether you are in a position where you can make a career change or not, do not, allow another person to be the quasi-leader while you check out. Your staff will notice and they will not respond well.

Closing Thoughts

Changing is not easy for anyone. Managing change is even harder and requires a lot of effort on the part of a passionate leader who can provide both support and encouragement in a changing environment. If you are the type of leader that really doesn't lead, or you totally lack passion for what you do, it is important that you rethink Change Management even though it has become a catchy phrase and everybody seems to be doing it or talking about it. It will be a dis-service to your organization and to yourself not to implement change management in a healthy environment.

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