By Kelli Hinshaw
In yesterday’s Advisor, guest columnist Kelli Hinshaw, vice president of strategic development for Reality-Based Leadership, provided thoughts on proper change management. Today, Hinshaw has more tips for leaders looking to make their company thrive in times of transition.
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We Are in an Industry or Organization That Has Multiple Changes Occurring; How Do We Prevent ‘Change Fatigue’?
We help company leaders conserve team energy to get the highest return on investment of their human resources, and to do this, we train leaders to employ techniques that can help them get their teams aligned with the organization.
Great leaders remove attachment to the past, they no longer communicate change in terms of its net effect or with a gain/loss mindset. And thus, we no longer coach or train change management, we believe in business readiness, and it’s for everyone—not just the leaders.
Our HR leaders can take a lesson from the military—soldiers on a battlefield must be ready for what’s next. They scan the environment, anticipatory and prepared. They actively communicate expertise to help their teams be successful for any change in circumstances. They are not change fatigued. Because they expect change, they thrive with a mindset that change is part of life, a nature of competitive reality, and a truth of human adaptation that’s been present for millions of years.
So, What Is a Great Leader to Do?
At Reality-Based Leadership, we coach leaders to sustain readiness by picking up where most change management stops—accelerating action past the point of awareness and acceptance. After awareness, leaders seek willingness and work quickly with those who are willing and committed to changing circumstances. After willingness, seek advocates—those who work alongside you and bring others into alignment with the organization.
Next, they seek active participants who clear a path so the change can, and will work, and don’t remain stuck in reasons why it can’t. Finally, savvy companies embrace drivers who are proactively scouting trends, game-changing strategies, and areas so the organization can achieve its full potential.
If we favor preference over potential and keeping people comfortable; we kill competitive advantage. It gains us temporary feel-good, but it inhibits our future success. As an HR leadership driver, think beyond change management philosophies that talk about net change and tying the future to the past—it only reinforces attachment.
The future is now, and thriving in our reality requires a relentless focus on “what’s next.” A driver that advocates business readiness realizes it’s a mindset that is cultivated, because without that mindset, every change will be difficult.