Leaders have a duty to drive change to make the teams we serve, the organizations we work for, and the world we live in, better. Bringing change is a skill that every leader needs to develop. Here are some thoughts on how to inspire positive and lasting change:
Focus on things where the Why is obvious. Simon Sinek taught us Starting with Why. Sometimes, you go a step further and only try to change things where the Why is obvious. Focus on the low hanging fruit. This helps you to deliver change and build trust. Trust will get you opportunity to explain the Why for more difficult things.
Inspiration is more effective than mandates. You cannot change people. People choose to change. If you inspire people with a vision that makes them feel excited and hopeful, they are more likely to change. This is substantially more work, but the change you bring is likely to be more effective and resilient.
Make the most of every crisis. Sometimes disasters happen. Don't despair. Get going. A crisis usually helps bring out underlying problems out in the open, and enables people to get the Why, easily.
Don't depend solely on positional power. Develop skills to influence without authority. Don't depend on your positional power and use it as a crutch. Books from Keith Ferrazzi and Robert B Cialdini are useful.
Learn negotiation. Good negotiation is about finding a solution that works for everyone, and moving things forward, and not about competing. Never Split the Difference is a refreshing take on it (Related video).
At times, do nothing and be patient. People take time to change. Sometimes you may need to wait years to bring lasting change. People ignore this, push forward fast and fail. Sometimes the impact of this failure lingers on in the organizational memory, and delays any course correction.
Don't underestimate the power of the emoji. A single thumbs-up in a Slack post can be the first step in a massive change. Look out for examples of the change you want to see . Give a thumps-up. Be the First Follower.
Trust is key. Depending on data alone to bring change doesn't work. People need to trust and like you. Aristotle's logos, pathos, and ethos model of persuasion has lasted 1000s of years and is effective.
Forgive and forget the past to make progress. Toussaint Louverture's story by Ben Horovitz, is a tale of strength of character in bringing unthinkable change by incorporating the defeated enemy, who were their previous slave owners, into the reconstruction of Haiti. Nelson Mandela's iconic act at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final was a pivotal moment of reconciliation in the Apartheid-ravaged nation. Move on.
Be the change you want to see. A single driven person can bring change. Lead by example. As Michael Jackson so beautifully sang, "If you wanna make the world a better place. Take a look at yourself and then make a change."
Photo by Lucas Kapla on Unsplash
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