Ignitor Leadership Development

Leading Change...

Leading change almost always comes with two very clear expectations (1) implement the change by a certain date and (2) do not lose anyone along the way. At times these forces seem to be pulling against one another. While a directive style of leadership is the fastest point from ‘a’ to ‘b’ it also carries with it the greatest risk of losing valuable talent along the way.

Modern Psychology has proven that human behavior is largely driven by either fear or love. Change certainly triggers for many of us a feeling of fear in that we can clearly identify what we are losing but are less likely to identify what we stand to gain.

The question then remains...how do you implement change in an organization that reduces fears and engages people along the way?

The answer lies in our ability to be empathic towards the fear that others exhibit. Empathy is often described as ‘feeling sorry’ for another person and that actually has little to do with empathy. Pity and empathy are quite different and likewise will produce different outcomes. We define empathy as the attempt to understand another persons feelings and the logic behind their behavior. Empathy isn’t about your alignment or support of a teammates position but rather your understanding of how it came to be.

This exchange and subsequent understanding produces trust. Once trust is established, leaders are much more likely to become influential.

Using ones power to force the change that you want rarely produces a team that is celebrating at the finish line. It is often strewn with disengaged associates who never fully understood why the change was even necessary in the first place.

Give empathy a chance. Your team will in turn give you a chance.

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