How many times have you seen senior leadership announce a new big project or a new working method? I’m guessing quite a few times. Soon after the announcement, a cycle of lengthy meetings begins to explain the general overview, introducing new terminologies and details.
However, when the meeting ends, there is even more confusion than before.
Here are some signs to look for to determine how your team feels about the new change.
- Distracted team members –
You notice your team is distracted as you introduce the new change. They are either on their phones or looking at the clock, waiting for the meeting to end. If the meeting is being held online, you will notice that the cameras are turned off, indicating that your team is least interested in the new initiative.
2. “What will happen to me?” is all they care for –
The only answer they want is, “What happens to my role or my work?” They seem to be not interested in learning about the vision and mission you are presenting.
3. The same hands raise questions –
Having your team ask questions about your project is one way to know whether or not they are interested. It is often the same one or two people raising their hands, asking questions, indulging in the meeting while the rest stay silent.
4. Not up for the follow-up meetings –
In the future, you will see a steady decline in participants if follow-up meetings are planned. It’s clear your “change story” didn’t resonate with the team.
How can you make your “change story” more effective?
Every leader has to be able to learn to do a change story effectively. If you can’t communicate the need, urgency, and vision of the upcoming change program to the team, then the program is already a failure. Here are some tips on how you can make your change story effective.
- Don’t ignore the people –
The story is addressed to the team, and most often, the leader fails to acknowledge them in the process. They forget that any change, whether it is a system change, a new way of working, or a new organisational structure, has a direct impact on its people.
Instead of focusing on what it means for the employees, the emphasis is usually placed on how efficient the organisation will be or how much cost-saving will be achieved.
2. Show urgency, not fear –
There is a difference between giving the team a sense of urgency and giving them fear. As a leader, you can create a sense of urgency with enthusiasm and giving hope, along with a very slight “smell the danger” thought.
“Smell the danger” helps in creating a sense of urgency. But while doing so, make sure that you are not creating fear among your team. Fear will make them resent the change, which eventually will help no one.
Understand it with an example. “With the new way of working, we will decrease our costs by 20%. In the current market, with an expected recession, that saving will help our team stay relevant”.
” Versus – “ With the new way of working, we will decrease our costs by 20%, if we don’t do that we are not able to survive the recession, and that will have a consequence on your job”.
Were you able to see the difference between the two statements above? The first statement is creating a sense of urgency but the second statement is creating a fear.
3.Pick one team story –
If you are a leader, you are expected to boost the morale of the team with positive words. Leaders try this but often end up scratching the surface by being too generic. Like “ We are a very solid team, with dedicated and smart people.”
In a town hall with a large audience, this will have zero impact. Try to tell a small story from recent years when you felt proud of the team and their work.
Take a small example, explain why you are proud of it and the impact it had on the rest of the team. Acknowledge those who contributed to the success but without overshadowing others to avoid being viewed as favoritism.
Choose Leadership Over Dictation
Can’t you just give orders and instruct your team to implement a newly announced structure in the process in a timely manner? Since you are in an authoritative position, it is their responsibility to listen to your orders and follow them.
The approach may work in the short term, but dictating to millennials and generation Z employees won’t be effective in the long run.
I’ll give you some advice: successful teams are led, not bossed.
