Change Management, What Makes an Effective Change Leader?

What do Darwin, Ghandi, Buddha and the Mayans all have in common? The answer is change.

It is a basic concept innate to human existence that we must all go through change. Be it climate change, the change in seasons, the change of years, career change or a change of clothes. It is something that we must undergo every day of our lives.

Our ability to cope with and thrive in change is intrinsic to what makes us successful as a species. Darwin summed it up nicely:

?It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.?

We can see this mantra evident in the world around us today, particularly in business. Companies that are best able to adapt to changing conditions, get their products to market first, launch the latest technology ahead of the competition, implement the most efficient processes, enhance their customer experience and adopt the best cultural initiatives to get the best out of their people are the one?s that survive in an increasingly competitive market.

The way that companies embrace this need to change varies widely. Smaller organisations can be more able to adapt quickly due to their narrower, more specialised service offerings or fewer levels of management and often adopt an Agile approach. Larger organisations that are more process driven often aim to deliver a consistent and consolidated approach to change across the company through a centralised change function. One thing is clear however, in order for companies and individuals to succeed in the ever evolving workplace they need to be able to adapt effectively to stay at the front of the pack.

So, what is it that makes an effective Change Leader. This is where we can look to Ghandi for inspiration, with another well-known quote: ?Be the change that you want to see?.

In other words, lead by example. If you want to see a change in your business or inspire others to change, you need to be able to embody that change. Show others the benefits of the change, so that they can realise the ways that they can also enjoy the rewards of taking a step in a new direction. If we consider what it is that makes someone a good Change Manager, we see that it is a broad range of skills. A Change Manager needs to take people on the journey. They are Trainers, Mentors, Communications Specialists, HR Consultants, Project Managers, Process Analysts and Transformation Managers. A common theme through all of these areas is the ability to be a ?people person?. An effective Change Leader.

So, where does Buddha come into it?

Well, on a recent trip to Thailand, I found myself reading a book on Buddhism on the flight back. It talked about the basic principles of re-incarnation and that every time we are ?born again?, we go through a change. Depending on the amount of Karma you have accumulated in your life, you can either go down a level in the next life, or upwards heading closer towards Nirvana. I surmised that this could be taken to be similar to a career transition. The successes and skills that you build upon in each role helping you to transition into your next job position, hopefully in a positive trajectory. You need to plan for your next career move, train and focus on building a positive and marketable resume for yourself.

And finally, the Mayans.

It was certainly pleasing to see that the world did not end on 21st December 2012 and that mankind made it, relatively intact into 2013.

Some soothsayers might say that what the Mayans where actually referring to with the end of their calendar was the coming of a great change, a new beginning. The end of a 26,000 year lunar cycle and the start of a next.

So what can we learn from this going into the new year?

I was recently asked to comment on a news piece related to the key factors for project delivery going into 2013. What resources companies are in need of and why.

Being somewhat biased, I proclaimed that the answer is change management and process improvement. There are several reasons for this as an increasingly challenging and competitive environment:

1. Companies are wanting to see their return on investment. When they are considering rolling out a new system or way of working they need to firstly consider what it is they are trying to fix and that the proposed solution is going to address that problem. Once the system is implemented, people need to understand the benefits of the change and be trained in it, so that it is actually utilised and sustained.
2. There are increased mergers, acquisitions and company restructures in what is a fairly volatile market. This comes with a strong need for effective organisational change to build brand cohesion and staff retention post change.
3. Companies are wanting to do more with less, to be more productive and to have the most effective processes in place to drive efficiency and reduce waste. This is why we are seeing an increase in desirability for tools like Lean Six Sigma across several industry sectors such as services industries where they were previous mainly seen in manufacturing.

So, what does this mean for you?

More companies are realising the importance of having specialist Change and Process people in Change and Process roles and are creating positions or whole teams to help them deliver Change across their organisations.

This is creating a demand in the market for Change Managers and Process Improvement specialists and while the market is still tough and hard to find a role at times, it should be heartening to know that your skills are needed.

It is therefore worthwhile sharpening your Change skills, investing in training and being confident in selling your skills to the market. Be sure to include in your resume all of the skills and achievements that you have which are related to Change and to build your personal brand to reflect these attributes.

If you are a hiring Manager looking for Change people, it is worth partnering with an agency that specialises in Change and understands what makes a good Change Manager, so that they can provide you with the most suitable candidates to meet your needs.

To conclude, I hope that you have found this blog useful and interesting. It is my first one, so your thoughts, comments and criticisms will be most welcome!

Many thanks

Source: http://techblog.ambition.com.au/change-management-what-makes-an-effective-change-leader/

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