“Leaders take the risk to trust first.” – Simon Sinek
As Senior Leaders, you have likely experienced a change in leadership many times throughout your career. I have noticed there are some people who really thrive during such changes and some who lose momentum and vision during this time. This led me to explore why it is important to be present and intentional during changes in leadership and how powerful stepping up during this time can be for leaders and their teams, their organizations, and most importantly themselves.
Of course, there are many factors that impact you as a leader and how you feel about the change in leadership. How was your relationship with the outgoing leader? How do you feel based on what you know about the incoming leader? How is your organization amidst this transition? How will this change impact your direction and the direction of those you lead?
While there are countless factors contributing to the impact of these transitions, there are also some universal strategies that I have seen contribute to success during a change in leadership. I have reflected on what I have observed over the years working with senior leaders to share with you here.
3 Things Leaders Can Do to Harness The Energy And Opportunity When There Is A Change in Leadership
1. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT YOUR MINDSET
Trust: Will you take the risk to trust first as Simon Sinek’s quote says? Leaders who thrive during transition don’t say, “Prove to me why I should trust you” rather than take the risk to trust first which is empowering to others. Leaders find this much easier to do with direct reports versus a new boss but here is the secret. Leaders who give trust get trust even when, and perhaps, especially when the risk level may feel high during a change in leadership.
Growth: Do you have a growth or benefit mindset versus a fixed mindset? This is one area where I see the most difference between leaders who thrive during large-scale transitions and leaders who struggle. Sometimes leaders are caught off guard when a new leader takes over by just how much they were “used to the old leader.” This is completely normal and also a sign of a fixed mindset. This is the greatest opportunity and if a leader can harness it, the rewards go far beyond the office. If you want to do a reflection to further explore the state of your mindset as it relates to the leader transition, click here.
Change: A leadership change is perhaps one of the biggest changes an organization and its people experience. This quote from William Bridges is so powerful to understanding why leadership changes seem monumental: “In other words, change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather the inner reorientation and self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the change won’t work, because it doesn’t ‘take’.” Be honest with yourself about how you feel about the change and where you are on the change curve. To plot your course, click here.
2. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE QUESTIONS YOU ASK
Another defining competency of a leader that truly excels during a time of change in leadership is their ability to identify and do more of what is already working, rather than looking for problems and trying to fix them. It makes Senior Leaders indispensable to a new boss when they can aid in facilitating rapid strategic change by focusing on the core strengths of an organization and then using those strengths to reshape the future. As Peter Drucker writes, “The ageless essence of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make a system’s weaknesses irrelevant.”
To assess and maximize your appreciative approach during a leader change, click here.
Here are a few questions that may spark a conversation with a new leader. The key is to ask them from an appreciative place with no personal agenda:
- What key insights or perspectives from your previous experiences do you plan to bring to our organization?
- What are your initial impressions of the organization’s strengths and areas for improvement?
- What changes should we anticipate in terms of organizational strategy or structure? Is there anything I can share that may be helpful from my experience?
- What is the best way to communicate with you about what I see and know from my time in this organization?
- How can I help?
3. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW YOU SHOW UP AND WHAT YOU CONTRIBUTE
In my experience, the leaders who are the most fulfilled during a change in leadership are intentional about how they show up. There is a tendency, when many things are uncertain, to keep our heads down and lay low or to voice our concerns at the water cooler. While both of these are natural reactions, windows of opportunity and engaging paths forward will pass leaders by. This blog has some tools to help leaders show up intentionally during day-to-day interactions.
That being said, acknowledging what you will miss if you had a successful relationship with an outgoing leader is equally important for you and for your directs. It is a big change and it is important to identify it in order to move forward. Being someone who can frame this loss with team members and directs productively, means everyone can move on more quickly because they feel heard and understood.
By focusing on showing up intentionally even, and especially, when there is a lot of uncertainty will help you get a sense of where the company is trying to go in the future and you will be able to speak from that place more quickly. Understanding where the business is now and where it needs to be in the future is paramount as new leadership transitions into place even if it all may change in the coming months. Showing up this way gives existing leaders something to work toward and keeps momentum building versus stalling during these times.
My mother used to say, “If you want something to change you have to change something.” A leader transition is a time that is ripe for change. The energy is palpable, and the choice is yours. Will you take the risk to trust first?
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