Empathic Change Leadership

Navigating the Emotions of Change

Change is hard. Leading others through change is harder. Coercion and manipulation might seem the easy way, but you’ll pay a high cost in the long run. Using good leadership skills to inspire and support them through the changes will get you through with fewer casualties.

Paving the Path through Change

Change involves three states (see Figure 1). Have you ever tried to use a map
when you don’t know where you’re at currently or where you’re trying to get to? A map is pretty useless in that case.

Getting shared clarity (not just in your own mind, but shared by everyone involved) of the Present State is the first step to creating a change plan that you can follow. The common error is to gloss over it assuming everyone knows it already. If that’s true, articulating it clearly and getting agreement should be easy. So if you’re having trouble getting everyone to describe the Present State consistently, you’re not ready to move on.

The next step is getting shared clarity on where you’re going, the Desired State. Get specific about the desired outcomes that define a successful change. Does everyone say the same thing when asked, “Why are we doing this?” Which outcomes are essential and which would be “nice to have”? Does everyone agree?

With crystal clarity on the start and end points, now you can create a roadmap to get between the two.

Navigating the Transition State

The Transition State is chaotic by nature, and chaos messes with human emotions. Emotions, like it or not, impact productivity and ultimately, successful outcomes. Ignore them at your own peril!

Expect everyone to go through all five stages of transition (see Figure 2). Some stages will be very short for some people while the same stage may be very long for others. Part of the chaos is the result of everyone being in different stages at different times. Your job as leader is sensing and responding to the differing emotional needs of people based on where they’re at in the transition process.

Your emotional intelligence skills will help you discern when to push and when to ease up; when to listen and when to direct; when to hold fast and when to adjust course. Just remember it isn’t about what YOU want – it’s about what it will take to get everyone to the Desired State you’ve agreed on. If you have a big team, you’ll need to make sure all of your leaders are paying attention to where their team members are at as they move through the process.

Preparing Yourself to Prepare Others

As you plan for and go through the change process, ask yourself these three questions to be ready to lead well:

• What will you say or do to help others share your VISION (understand WHY this change is important)?
• What will you say or do to help others believe you CARE about the concerns they have about this change?
• What will you say or do to help others have CONFIDENCE that your plans for this change will succeed?