You don’t need us to list all the challenges this year has brought — you lived it! However, we think it’s helpful to reflect on 2020 and see what leadership lessons we can glean and the insights we can build upon in 2021.
During this year, we’ve seen an astounding level of disruption. COVID has required some of us to shift to work-from-home as our new standard, with all of our meetings taking place on video. Meanwhile, many of us are having intense workplace conversations about systemic racism, the presidential election, and mental health challenges. In years past, we may have failed to acknowledge the kind of impact that changes like these have had on us. But 2020 has granted us a unique opportunity.
Instead of thinking of change as something to minimize or avoid, it’s time to embrace change as a constant. The pace of change will only continue to accelerate moving forward.
How can we meet this challenge and effectively manage change as a leader? It all starts with knowing ourselves and how we personally respond to change. External changes are by their nature ones that we do not initiate. Changes from the outside result in some aspect of our lives being threatened. It’s important to understand what aspects of change are most challenging for you.
You can start by reflecting on what is being threatened by the change:
- Loss of control?
- Lack of stability?
- Your competence?
- Your influence?
- Predictability?
- The ability to express yourself?
Once you’re aware of what is being threatened, you can then move to identify what you need in order to successfully navigate change:
- Loss of control? Identify what you can control
- Lack of stability? Figure out what remains predictable even during chaos
- Your competence? Feel secure knowing you do your job well and can maintain credibility with others
- Your influence? Have input into decisions that impact you and your team
- Predictability? Know what’s expected of you during times of change
- The ability to express yourself? Feel confident that your opinions and feelings about the change are heard by others
Here’s an image that helps you to see the types of needs that different people have during change. I wonder if you can spot needs that resonate with you?
If you would like to dive deeper into this and learn about your own preferences during change, please contact us to learn more about executive coaching options or ways to bring Everything DiSC solutions to your team.
*The above image was created by Wiley Workplace Learning Solutions.