Four Warning Signs You’re Suffering from “Truth Decay”

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Randy Conley

Truth Decay

Hey Leader, can you identify the truth when you see or hear it? Can you tell when someone is lying to you? Do you think that telling “little white lies” are okay to do if you do it for good reasons?

And do you believe that the truth can set you free?

Truth Decay

Winston Churchill once pointed out that people occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.

The great American author and humorist, Mark Twain, opined that many people must regard truth as their most valuable possession since they were very economical in its use.

His advice was simply was this: ”Always do right.”

Truth decay is the gradual erosion of honesty and integrity in a relationship. And if not diagnosed and treated promptly, can result in a complete loss of trust.

4 Warning Signs of Truth Decay

Here are four warning signs of truth decay and suggestions for prevention and treatment.

1. Withholding Information

WARNING SIGNS: This causes suspicion in the leader, a lack of empowerment in the followers, and wasted time and energy as people try to manage the business without all the right information at their disposal. People without information are incapable of acting responsibly. People with information are compelled to act responsibly.

PREVENTION & TREATMENT: Share information about yourself and the organization openly and in the appropriate formats and forums, and set the expectations of how the information should be used.

Trust your folks to do the right thing.

2. Not “Walking the Talk”

WARNING SIGNS: When leaders say one thing yet do another, followers quickly learn that the leader can’t be trusted. Leaders can not underestimate the power of leading by example.

PREVENTION & TREATMENT: Get clear on what values are most important to you as a leader, communicate those to your team, and give them permission to hold you accountable to living those out.

3. Dropping Balls

WARNING SIGNS: Not following through on commitments is a leading contributor to truth decay.

PREVENTION & TREATMENT: Make sure you under-promise and over-deliver. Don’t commit to do something unless you know you can follow-through. It can be tempting for leaders to think they have to say “yes” to everything, but if you don’t follow through on your commitments, then people begin to doubt that you are a person of your word.

As the Scripture advises us “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Mathew 5:37 (NIV)

4. Gossiping

WARNING SIGNS: When you engage in gossip or talk disparagingly about a colleague behind their back, you demonstrate a lack of care and respect for others. Your followers observe this behavior and begin to wonder to themselves “If my leader treats others this way, is he/she doing the same to me when I’m not around?”

PREVENTION & TREATMENT: Remember, one of your most precious assets as a leader and colleague is your reputation and good name.

Creating a Culture of Candor

Leadership guru Warren Bennis has noted this:

“So much lip service is paid to the issue of business ethics; but how do you in fact build an organization distinguished by tangible integrity, moral vision, and transparency? The key is a commitment on the part of the corporate leader to establish a culture of candor in which followers feel free to speak the truth to power, and leaders are bold enough to hear such truth and act on it.”

As leaders we are responsible for setting the example of ethical behavior for our team, and if we pay attention to the warning signs of truth decay and take actions to prevent its spread, we will build a culture of high trust, engagement, and productivity.

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Randy Conley
Randy Conley is the Trust Practice Leader for The Ken Blanchard Companies
He helps leaders and organizations build trust in the workplace
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog

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On Love and Leadership

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Andy Uskavitch

Leading in Love

“Love is a many splendored thing.”  “All you need is love.”  “Love me tender.”  “Love to love you baby.”  “Thou shalt love thy neighbor.”

Hmm.  I didn’t see anything about loving your employees.  I’m not saying you have to “love” them.  I’m talking about a simple relationship.  Think of it as love, without the . . . “love.”

Understanding Love

When we’re IN love, we’re in a whole ‘nother mindset.  Leadership is a different mindset also.  Lets take a look at some of the basics.

Love shows kindness . . . and kindness makes you someone who’s likeable.  People see that you’re someone they want to be around.  Someone that will be good to them . . . and in turn good for them.

Here is something the Bible says about love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

On Leadership and Love

As a leader, you need to be there for your employees.  You don’t have to win the “most popular” award every year, but you do need to be liked enough that they’ll be with you and follow you.  They can help you as much as you can help them.

In love, you lose your selfishness.  You become devoted to another.  We’re all selfish in one way or another, but we can get over that.

We’re always trying to get ahead.  Doing so in the wrong ways is being selfish.  Taking the credit for something that belongs to an employee(s) is selfish.  Don’t do it.  If the credit belongs to someone else, give it.  If it can be honestly shared then great.  Want what’s truly best for your staff.

Love is full of thoughtfulness.  It comes with the territory.

When you fall in love, thoughtfulness comes quite easily, right.  Buying flowers, opening doors, doing the dishes or laundry.  It’s a wonderful time.  Then over time it often starts to slow.  Just like in leadership.

Changing to Improve

When we become leaders or get promoted, we try hard from the outset – open-door policies, awards, being an open part of the team.  Then as time goes on, the door closes, the awards get put on the back burner, and you become “the boss.” But just like in love, we have to keep trying, changing, and improving our leadership skills.

When in love, we think the best of our love interest and show appreciation.

This person means the world to us and she/he is the best thing to ever come our way.  We buy flowers, we hold hands, we smile (a lot), we show the world how we feel.

Building Trust

In business we must think of our staff as the best in the business – or at least in the organization.  There’s another word you can use to describe this . . . TRUST.  If we don’t believe in and trust our employees then that’s what they’ll give us right back. It becomes a vicious circle that keeps growing until there’s absolutely no positive relationship at all.

How long do you think a love relationship would last like that?  Even the slightest bit of appreciation is better than none at all.

Love can harbor no jealousy.

If your love has a better job, so what.  If she/he has a bigger network or gets more awards, so what.

Leading With Humility

There’s no one leader in this world who knows everything.  Don’t pretend you do.  You can’t keep yourself surrounded by a bunch of “yes men.” A good leader will have people who have knowledge at ALL levels (even more than you) and have varying ideas.  You can sometimes learn as much from some of your employees as they can from you.

With love comes intimacy.  (And you know what I’m talking about.  Don’t go running to HR!)

In leadership, intimacy just means knowing your people.  Think of Tom Peters’ Managing by Wandering Around (MBWA).  Get out and see your folks.  Talk to them.  Find out about their families, their interests, their hopes for the future.

Find out what they need to do the best job that they can.

Being Faithful

Love generates faithfulness.  Love is a choice, not just a feeling.  It’s not a reaction, it’s an initiated action.

We choose to love someone because we feel a need and a want to be with that person.

Like love, leadership is a choice.  Leadership is not for everyone.  It takes a certain type of person to be really successful.  If you don’t want to do the job to the best of your ability . . . step away.

Effective Communication

And maybe most importantly, love needs communication.  Love needs open communication.  No beating around the bush.  No, “you should know what I’m thinking.”  Pure open communication . . . with discussion.

Leadership is no different.  We have to communicate clearly and concisely with our employees.  You can’t hold someone accountable for their work if they don’t know what they’re supposed to do.  People WANT to do their best.  They can’t do that without all the puzzle pieces.

And remember that even if you don’t have something to share, they still need to know that.  When people feel they’re lacking communication, they start filling in the gaps themselves.

A Work in Progress

People will commonly say, “If you loved me ________ would come naturally.”  That’s so untrue.  Like I discussed earlier, we have to keep trying new things, modifying, and advancing.  Our leadership skills are no different.

They’re both a continuous work in progress!

How is your relationship with your staff?  What can you work on, short-term, to make things better?  What can you work on, long-term, to make things better?

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——————–
Andy Uskavitch
Andy Uskavitch is Leadership Development at Florida Blood Services
He develops and facilitates Leadership, Motivation & Teambuilding Seminars
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Blog |  (727) 568-5433

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Leadership Transparency: When the Unexpected Happens

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Cheryl Dilley

Hiding Under Desk

It is human nature to create our own reason to a problem when something unexpected happens and when we don’t know the true answer.  It is a survival instinct to explain the unexplained and to provide purpose to the unknown.

And when leaders don’t realize this human tendency, it can really damage morale and productivity in the workplace.

Understanding Leadership Roles

A few months ago I had a conversation on leadership capabilities with a General Manager that I have known for most of his career.  We discussed the different challenges for leaders depending on what type of organization they head.  I wanted to get his perspective on the differences he observed in leading his current organization versus leading the mainstream business.

When I mentioned a colleague’s recent move to lead a “turnaround” organization because the previous leader failed, he questioned my premise.

He defended the other leader and the organization.

  • He was adamant that the previous manager was a great leader
  • He insisted that the change was not a result of  any mistakes
  • He also argued that the organization was not in trouble

Getting to the Truth

But my colleague was uninformed and incorrect. He was just plain wrong. And I thought that he needed to know the truth. So having insight into the organization in question and having a long time relationship with this GM, I spent some time with my colleague and gave him the truth.

I was up front and told him that many people simply didn’t know the truth about the situation. And without enough communication on the subject matter, the reason for the leadership changes would probably not be clear to those who worked for the replaced leader. My friend who worked there simply believed something different than what actually took place because he didn’t have the facts.

So in communication the truth, my honesty provided a new perspective to this leader and he thanked me for giving him a new lens on being transparent.

When something unexpected happens and leaders don’t communicate enough, followers will make up their own story which may not paint the right picture.  The leader may think they have provided what’s needed but a high level statement will not be sufficient if it does not contain enough “why.”

A Little Closer to Home

I serve on the Board of Directors of my Home Owners Association.  I could write a new reality show on the drama that exists in a community that appears from the outside to be a beautiful paradise.

I have learned that this is not uncommon in large communities.  Who knew?

Due to different circumstances during my tenure, we have had a lot of turnover on the Board and with the Association Manager.  In most circumstances, the board was not able to disclose the reason for the departures without legal risk.

I recently got to know one of my neighbors with a great network within the community.  She told me the various rumors that were circulating on the different departures.  I could not believe my ears.  The stories were so far from the truth, it floored me.

I asked her “how do people make this stuff up?”

When information is lacking, people will create their own version of what they believe to be the truth.  The more distrust in the leader, the more harmful the story.

Impacting Morale and Results

I recently had lunch with a colleague who works for a small company in the Midwest.  She shared an unfortunate example of lack of transparency and the impact.

The CEO of her company unexpectedly announced her departure.

The CEO’s statement followed by a scarce press release from PR created a whirlwind of water cooler talk filled with employees speculating if they should bail ship.  Stories being conjured up included lack of faith in the company, indiscretions, political aspirations, health issues and so on.

It has negatively impacted morale and productivity in a time where the company can’t afford to pause.

My colleague’s concern was that the true reason may never be known which could unintentionally shake the foundation of bench leaders or cause the company to go under.

A Better Way To Lead: Use Wisdom and Truth

Here are a few questions that can point to a better way to handle things:

  • Leaders need to consider when something unexpected happens, how much can and needs to be disclosed?
  • What do employees need in order to have trust?
  • How can a leader turn concern into contentment and acceptance?
  • If legal risks or confidentiality prevent details from being disclosed, what CAN be communicated?

Shortly after one of our Association Managers left unexpectedly and an angry crowd showed up at the board meeting demanding to bring her back, we disclosed that due to risk of litigation, we couldn’t provide details.

Amazingly the noise stopped!

We didn’t have to disclose the details, we just had to provide the “why”.

Have you experienced a leader being transparent in a rough situation that resulted in unexpected success?  What examples do you have of leaders not being transparent and the consequences?

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Cheryl Dilley
Cheryl Dilley is a Program Director at Intel Corporation
She is a transformation leader, coach, and program strategist
Email | LinkedIn | Web| Facebook

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Leading Expectations: “Was it Something I Said?”

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Carlann Fergusson

Sprinkles

I was listening to a woman tell us how she returned home to find her kitchen a mess and her husband with his right hand in a bowl covered with  brownie mix up to his elbow.

She said in an agitated tone, “Just what are you doing?“

He sheepishly replied “I was trying to surprise you for your birthday by making brownies.”

“OK,” she says calming down, “but that doesn’t explain why your hand is covered in batter.”

Her logical husband answered defensively “Well it was all going fine, until I got to the part in the directions that said ‘Beat 50 strokes by hand.’”

Setting Clear Expectations

As managers we know that one of the most important aspects of our job is to set clear expectations for our employees. Seems simple enough, but how often does this go wrong? As a former HR Manager, I dealt with many managers who were ready to fire someone for doing something wrong.

My first question was “Did you make the expectations clear?” Often the desire to fire ended there.

Likewise, I ask myself that question when getting ready to assume that someone “just doesn’t get it.”  In today’s workplace that simple skill is even more important.

Going Global: Table the Discussion

I’m leading a discussion with a cross-functional global team and it’s a pretty heated discussion about why a part failed. It is a critical, complex discussion so we have flown the team members into headquarters. A manager from Ireland brings up an issue that is indirectly related to the topic.

Being a skilled facilitator I say “Let’s table that discussion.”

The rest of the team gets back to the main topic but this Irish man interjects with his issue. Another manager from England joins his conversation. I keep bringing it back to the main topic, but the Irish and English managers keep returning to the tangential topic.

Very quickly, the team is getting frustrated.

I stop the discussion and say to the Irish manager “I thought we agreed to table that discussion.”

He answers “Me, too.”

I add “Then why do you keep bringing it up?”

He responds “Because you told me to table the discussion.”

A bit confused (but with a light starting to go off in my ‘jumping to conclusions’ brain), I ask “What does ‘table it’ mean to you?”

He explains that it means to immediately bring the topic up for discussion.

The laughter in the room starts and I apologize and explain that in the United States to “table a discussion” means to set the topic aside for a later discussion.  Now we are all laughing and sharing our global experiences of trying to communicate with one another.

This can be fun, but it also can go bad quickly!

Morale of this story:

  • Define the meanings of the terms you use
  • Avoid idioms, jargon, and colloquialisms
  • Be very careful of your own assumptions

In a Rush? Text It

Having been a Labor Relations Manger, I got very skilled at scrutinizing emails before I sent them. I approached my email editing with this thought in my head:

“Is there any possible way that what I have written could be misconstrued?”

This discipline stayed with me as a habit and worked most times…. Except when I was in a rush.

Haste Makes Waste

A colleague and I had little time for lunch due to a rush project. I offer to pick something up while I am out running an errand. We decide on this great place but since it has such large portions we agree to get one to-go order and split it.

It’s now two hours since we planned this lunch and I’m in line to order. I decide I could eat more than half an order so I text my co-worker this:

“I’m hungry. You’re getting your own.”

He quickly responds “OK, leaving now to get chili.”

I quickly call him to apologize and explain my intent of placing two orders.

 Morale of the story:

  • A hurried e-mail or text can waste more time than it takes to recheck it for misinterpretation before sending
  • Always be clear of your intent
  • Don’t assume that because you’ve worked with someone for a long time that they will read your mind
  • The first time you read emotion in a text or email, pick up the phone to ensure your assumed tone of voice is correct. Before you call clear your mind of assumptions. When you do call use a calm, friendly voice.

To Err is Human

Of course it’s even funnier when we are not the ones making the error.

I’ll end with this story from Snoops Cake Talk.  A mortician found a card on flowers that were sent in honor of the deceased. Apparently the person placing the order asked the florist to “write ‘Rest in Peace’ on both sides. And if you can fit it in, ‘We’ll see you in eternity.’”

The card on the flowers said exactly that:

“Rest in Peace on both sides. And if you can fit it in, we’ll see you in eternity.”

I’ve Shared Mine, Now Share Yours

What are some examples you can share from your world of work? Please share the lesson learned as well! I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Carlann Fergusson

Carlann Fergusson is owner at Propel Forward LLC
She provides seminars and consulting on Strategic Leadership Challenges
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Skype: carlann.fergusson

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Values: The Lifeblood of an Organization

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Rich Bishop

Organizational Health

Many companies are quick to point out their values when a customer or prospect walks in the door. They are proud of what they stand for.

Then there are many other companies who don’t have any formal values posted anywhere.

Values Drive Business

I have known many people who think that mission statements, vision statements, and values are a waste of time and keep an organization from being “productive.” But if you look at some of the most successful companies in the world, these are a key reminder to keep employees focused on what’s important.

The values that are being lived out that determine the health or the corporate culture.

“Integrity” is a word that is usually the first word out of someone’s mouth when they talk about values.

It sounds nice, doesn’t it?

“Our company values integrity.”

Not only is integrity a great value to have, but it’s the key to whether or not the corporate values are worth the paper that they’re printed on.

Your Corporate Culture

It has been said that a person’s true leadership ability shines in a time of crisis. This is also true for organizations. The true corporate culture will show when times get tough, regardless of what is written somewhere in a mission, vision, or values statement.

Here are a few critical steps to ensuring your organization embodies the values it stands for:

Build buy-in from the current employees

If your employees don’t buy-in to the organization’s values, they’re worthless. Like any vision that is cast, buy-in is vital to its success. Include as many employees as possible in setting the values.

Hold round-table discussions or run a contest to incentivize them to participate in the process. The key is to have as many people as possible feel ownership in the decision – it is the best form of buy-in.

Don’t stop talking about them

Values can’t just be written once and thrown in a drawer. In order for them to be in the front of everyone’s mind, they have to be discussed constantly.

  • Mention them individually whenever the entire company is addressed.
  • Put them in your email signature.
  • Print a poster on the wall or hang them in the offices and cubes.
  • Whatever you have to do, get them in front of people.

Align your business practices around them

The key to integrity is doing what you said you were going to do, right? If you want to represent a value, you have to live up to it. This means doing what you say you’re going to do even if it’s difficult.

Many companies include the company’s values as a part of the annual employee evaluation process. For example, if you value your employee’s growth, then you have to support them. You have to move them on to new challenges when they’re ready.

Don’t keep them at a job just because they do it very well. If you value customer service, make sure the customer is the focus of everyone in the organization.

Don’t be afraid to let people go

Companies often show that they honor performance over values. If a person is going against the corporate values, you have to be willing to part ways – even if they’re a strong performer. When a person can repeatedly fall short the company’s values, everyone around them knows it.

It sends a very strong message if that person is kept or if they are let go.

Keeping them will breed distrust in management because you are not practicing what you preach. Worse yet, nothing can be swept under the rug. You will either deal with it now by letting the person go, or you will deal with it later by the decline in employee morale. One decision affects one person negatively while the other effects the entire organization.

Which one do you think is best?

Hire the right people

This is truly a key component of any business’s success, isn’t it?

Not only is it important to hire someone who is technically competent for the position, but their values need to be measured as well. Study after study has shown that corporate culture is one of the greatest factors in a company’s success.

So a candidate who has average ability but holds the same values is going to be a much better fit for your corporate culture than someone with strong ability and different values.

Values are the lifeblood of any organization. Align your people and processes with the corporate values and you will create a company that is enjoyable to work for sets up long-term success.

What are your organizations values? Are you building a culture that promotes them in everything they do? If the organization doesn’t live and breathe the values, what comes forward in a time of crisis? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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———————
Rich Bishop
Rich Bishop is President of Bishop Coaching & Consulting Group
He serves with hands-on approach to Development through Coaching & Training
Email | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Web

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Leaders: Trust Can Change Everything

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Kristi Royse

TRUST

Building trust is one of the most critical challenges facing our society today. It is what we as leaders should all be about.

We are in a crisis of trust. 

It affects us on all levels; societal, institutional, organizational, relational, and personal. And It has a perpetuating effect.

Research shows:

  • Only 51% of employees have trust and confidence in senior management
  • Only 36% of employees believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity
  • Over the past 12 months, 76% of employees have observed illegal or unethical conduct on the job. If exposed, these actions would seriously violate the public trust.

What Drives Employees Away?

The number one reason people leave their jobs is due to their  bad relationship with their boss.

In my years of work with 360° assessments I have found that the question, “Do you trust your boss?” is question thought about with true concern.

This is the one question that is more predictive of team and organizational performance than any other question we ask. Trust is the glue that bonds great people, processes, and environments; it ensures long-term success. In life and business, relationships are important, but they are empty unless they are established and based on trust.

“Trust is the fundamental building block for a brand and it is the glue for any lasting relationship.”~ Horst H. Schultz

There are 10 drivers of employee engagement. Trust people had in their leader is the #1 driver. When the organization trusts its leaders, and everyone becomes trustworthy, then people can operate synergistically and non-defensively.

Trust enables employees to work quickly and efficiently to achieve great results for their employers.

Implementing Trust and Engagement

Trust and engagement are twin engines; as you increase trust it drives engagement and becomes a virtuous upward cycle.

Trust is the root driver of engagement.

If people don’t trust you, they won’t engage no matter how many other drivers are working. Employees need to trust you have their best interests in mind.

When you move the needle on trust you will increase engagement.

“No quality or characteristic is more important than trust. It is the foundation for building a team.”~ Patrick Lencioni

  • You always need to start with yourself:
  • How engaged am I with my team and people?
  • How credible am I?
  • In my presentations I often ask audiences to consider the question, “Who do you trust?”

A friend? A work associate? Your boss?

  • Why do you trust this person?
  • What is it that inspires the trust of others?
  • Then I ask them, “Who trusts you?”
  • What is it that inspires the trust of others?

According to a fabulous book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” the definitions of trust include:  

Benevolence:

  • Environment of good will and caring
  • Positive interactions
  • Appreciation expressed
  • Fair
  • Confidences maintained
  • “Well-being” is looked after
  • People willing to go the extra mile

Integrity:

  • Walking the talk
  • Truthfulness
  • Agreements honored
  • Authenticity
  • Responsibilities accepted
  • Manipulation avoided
  • Committed to doing what is right

Reliability:

  • Consistency
  • Dependability
  • Demonstrated commitment
  • Dedicated to mission
  • Diligent

Openness:

  • Open communications
  • Genuine talking and listening
  • Sharing important information
  • Important information not hidden
  • Shared decision-making
  • Shared power

Competence

  • Perform to expectations
  • Demonstrated skill in areas of professional accountability
  • Setting standards of excellence
  • Results oriented
  • Flexibility/adaptability
  • Willingness to fulfill responsibilities

Trust Starts with You

It is about our willingness to be vulnerable, our credibility, and how you behave. Do what you say and follow through with actions. Make a commitment and keep it.

“If you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem.”~ Steven Covey

Has your team built a high trust culture?

Build it Yourself

Trust is tangible, measurable, and most importantly, something that we can build more easily than we think.

“I am convinced that in every situation, nothing is as fast as the speed of trust. And, contrary to popular belief, trust is something  you can do something about. In fact, you can get good at creating it.” Steven Covey.

It is possible not only to build trust, but also to restore it. I have seen in done over and over again. Obviously, there are some circumstances in which trust has truly been damaged beyond repair or where others may not give us a chance to restore it, but I am convinced that for most of us, these circumstances are few.

I believe our ability to restore trust is much, much greater than we think.

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today.”~ Chinese proverb

Trust is at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team.

Patrick Lencioni’s organization has an incredible assessment I have very effectively utilized to help companies learn how to use the Five Dysfunctions to transform their organizations. If you are interested in learning feel free to leave your input and any way I can further assist you with your interest/questions.

How would you rate yourself on these behaviors? How would you team rate you?Are you believable? Are you credible? Am I someone my people can trust? Am I someone I can trust? Has your team built a high trust culture? When are you going to start and what are the first steps you are going to take?

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Kristi Royse

Kristi Royse is CEO of KLR Consulting
She inspires success in leaders and teams with coaching and staff development
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Blog | Articles | Services | (650) 578-9626

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Leading Change: Meet Me Where I Am

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Andrea Buczynski

Where Am I?

When an organization under goes a big change, there is often times a lot of visual evidence that something is new or different. People, places, or things are no longer how they were and the way things are done have been altered.

These things can be for the better. And they can also be for the worse.

Imagining Change

Because big change efforts need a lot of attention to the obvious, the unspoken and less-obvious things can be neglected or forgotten. And what often goes under the radar is how people feel about the new changes.

The challenge for a leader implementing change is remembering what it feels like to experience change.

When a leader, or a team of leaders, disconnects from the emotional aspects of a change effort, they may be totally unaware of the personal tsunamis that their people may be experiencing.

This can often be so disturbing that the change effort is eventually deemed a failure.

Avoiding Tragedy

To avoid the emotional pitfalls and landmines that can plague any big change effort, leaders must be able to empathize with their people. They need to get past the rush to just get everyone on board and take the time to make sure that everyone on board is really on board.

In order to help create a successful initiative, leaders need to be emotionally plugged into the heads, hearts, and souls of their people and understand that they may be dealing with hidden issues like:

  • Fears
  • Uncomfortableness
  • Disorientation
  • Distraction
  • Alienation
  • Abandonment
  • Insecurity
  • Shock

A Case in Point

Big New Change

While leading the beginning stages of a change initiative recently, the church that I attend opened a new sanctuary. During construction, we talked about our community’s vision and the purpose of the new facilities.  We lingered over models and took a tour of the unfinished building.

The future looked promising.

But when we held the first service there, I was strangely uncomfortable.

  • My “normal seat” was gone.
  • The new sanctuary had no middle aisle like the former one did.
  • I didn’t recognize any of the people who used to sit in the same section.
  • And when the music started, the volume overwhelmed me.

Tsunami Recovery

To get more settled, I moved to the back to see if it helped.  It was cold back there. The blasts of cold air made me shiver.  I was not settled. In fact, I was regretting the whole “new” thing.

All of a sudden, I thought:

“Maybe it’s time to look for a different church.”

But in an instant I retracted this thinking:

What?! What kind of reaction was that for a long-time member?

I was unsettled, confused, alarmed, cold, and looking for peace.

Speaking the Obvious

The pastor began with this, “Sometimes when a good thing happens, it can feel weird.”  He explained how moving into the new building was a milestone, but like any move, the new place didn’t feel like home yet.

He reminded us of our vision and purpose, And he acknowledged feeling at home would take a while.

I relaxed when he said, “There are so many bells and whistles that we don’t how to work.  It’s too cold in here.  It’s too loud.  We’ll figure that out.  But you have all the time you need to get used to this place.  It’s okay to feel weird until you don’t feel weird here anymore.”

The Meeting Place

He met us right where we were.  Disoriented, confused, uncomfortable—he met us right there. He didn’t try to hide the negative stuff.  My trust in him increased as he acknowledged reality.

A leader of change must think about the people affected by the change and address their concerns in the transition. they need to properly and effectively deal with what’s ending, what’s up for grabs, and what will be in the future.

How a servant leader engages in that “letting go” phase is critical to how people move through the phases.

The authenticity, integrity, and empathy of my pastor brought us into a journey together, embracing a new place, while letting go of the old.

Being Others Focused

Robert Quinn describes a necessary shift in the leader. Normally, we are more “self-focused, externally directed, internally closed, and comfort-centered.”

This means that we are:

  • More intent on our own success than others
  • More concerned about how I appear to others
  • Not open to new opinions
  • Unwilling to get out of your comfort zone

To really carry out your purpose and help people navigate change, leaders must become more “others-focused, internally directed, externally open, and purpose-centered.”

This means that we are:

  • More concerned about the common good
  • Leading out of integrity
  • Seeing questions and concerns as necessary pieces of information
  • Fully committing to the end result, regardless of personal comfort

On Vision and Hope

In a change process, the journey of the individual is related to the  journey of the leader.  As a leader is clear about the vision and direction, and is committed to getting there, people gain hope.

As a leader is honest about realities and what needs to change, people gain trust.

As their questions and concerns are met with empathy and authenticity, people become part of the change community.  As people are engaged in creating solutions, people gain energy and motivation.

The change begins when you’re willing to meet people where they are.

What tips do you have for staying authentic and empathetic in the midst of leading change?

**********

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Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

——————–
Andrea Buczynski is VP for Global Leadership Development-HR at Cru
She helps develop effective leaders, growing people, and healthy teams
Email | LinkedIn | Web | Blog

Image Sources:  feintandmargin.com

 

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