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Change Mindset: Part 4/4 – A “Sideways” Look at Change Leadership

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Somewhere along the way, the mission, role, and focus of Change Leadership has been co-opted by process wonks and process “managers” who are, in fact, much more focused on power and control (the real focus of much Organizational Change Management (OCM) guidance). 

How do I know this?...Two ways:

1-All the change models tout leadership, listening, values and the like, but when you “audit” the focus and actual activity level of those leading change efforts, you find that the desired (even “branded,” ugh…) leadership behavior has quickly fallen by the roadside, having been easily and voraciously overtaken by “management” behavior (e.g., processes and controls).  Even the most (potentially) engaging activities like stakeholder interactions, project communications, assessing the organization’s change readiness, and listening for feedback on administration of the change process become “process driven” and mechanical.

2-Every (that means all…without exclusion) struggling and/or failed change initiative that I encounter is marked by this “turning the leading and managing quotient upside down.”

Now, are these observations unique to me given the amount of research I’ve conducted and recovery consulting I’ve done on struggling initiatives, or does this, on reflection, seem possible to you?

In this fourth installment in our 4-part Series on Change Mindset I am discussing how you can reshape the Change Leadership expectations of your team and their stakeholders.  So, here is a sideways look at Leadership that is squarely aimed at breaking such frames.  Recall that the purpose of this Series was to reinforce the understanding that Change Mindset is a state of being--one that involves openness to change, willingness to explore new practices, ability to put up with some ambiguity, etc.  In this light, Change Leadership is most certainly not about leading others to your (project, approved) mindset.

One way to break mental frameworks is through the classic “What this (leadership) is, and what it is NOT contrast:”  (Are you a believer in this distinction?...check each observation as you go, marking those that make sense to you)

__Leading involves a ferocious and sustained stewardship of changing in a way that works for your organization…It is NOT about being out in front as the thought leader, first convert, smartest in the room, or even the Chief Sales Officer for the planned change.

__Your job is to help others make their own connection to the change—not plug them into it or TELL them about their connection to the change.

__Success is NOT found by creating buy-in…but, rather, helping others discover that they are, in fact, interested BUYERs!

__Leading begins with asking…NOT telling OR selling.

__Leadership involves getting others to look beyond real or assumed boundaries—NOT telling them where to look.

__Leading successful and sustainable change involves helping others discover what they must STOP doing as much as it is about what (new practices) to do.

__Leading is NOT about getting everyone to march along per a new “model” (for the new practice or the process of making change), but rather acting as a steward of success and making things work within your company (e.g., adjusting practice and honoring core values rather than demanding that others put theirs aside).

I remain amazed at how many Change Teams build values like listening and flexibility into their Charters, only to demonstrate unprecedented “tone deafness” and Inflexibility in their driving of the change process.

So…in the spirit of your own “audit,” are you or the Change Leaders in your organization erring on the side of leadership or management?  No doubt, there must be a balance to execute complex change (i.e., I am not saying that disciplines like OMC or Project Management are useless).  To find the right balance for YOUR organization, I encourage you to assess past change initiatives (or an active one) in an open and honest discussion with your Change Team and their stakeholders and find the right “leadership::management quotient” for your company and its initiatives.

I hope you enjoyed this Series and benefited from these “sideways” looks at four elements of the Change Management Process.  If you missed any of the four parts (including frame-breaking discussions of change measurement, worry through change, winning hearts & minds, and Change Leadership, respectively, scroll down this page to catch up.

Please, “borrow heavily” from the questions posed in this series—challenging your own team’s thinking and play your own leadership role in creating a true Change Mindset.

Share this series with others and invite them to enjoy the same form of leadership.

For more thinking on breakthrough Change Leadership, follow the link below for a preview of our forthcoming book, The LAST Word on Change (and qualify for a pre-publication, no obligation discount for future purchase).

http://www.lastwordonchange.com/our-new-book-on-change-management/