2 Ways To Lead With Vision During Change
When the dust begins to settle from change, it's our opportunity to lead with greater vision.
Last week we looked at how change impacts self-perception.
Today I'm sharing 2 tools to keep paving a path forward:
Vision of impact
Vision for brand
Before we get into it, 2 quick plugs:
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Ok, back to our regularly schedule programming…
Vision of Impact
There are two components to leading with vision:
Be clear on what you want
Enroll your people in that wanting
Imagine your head is on a swivel. You're looking ahead to where you're going, while often looking alongside and behind to ensure your folks are with you.
To clarify the vision you want to lead with, start here:
What impact do I want this team to have?
How do I want my people to feel when we succeed?
What will success look and feel like?
Vision can be daunting.
It can feel like it's not ours to create. It can feel lofty.
But guess what, it is yours to create (for your immediate team anyway) and vision is simply putting words to what you want.
And, you don't have to do it on your own. You can pull your people in.
When dust from change is settling, involving your people in the creation of the team's vision can restore agency and empowerment, while also increasing their connection and buy-in within the team.
Vision For Brand
After significant changes, I like to lead the Team Branding Exercise with my people.
I did it about a month after 4 new people joined the team. I also did it a few weeks after laying off 75% of the team.
It's an opportunity to realign and recreate operating norms within your team, again, giving them agency and empowerment while processing meaningful changes in the business.
Directions on how to lead this exercise are here.
FAQ
What if I have someone who just won't get on board?
Start with curiosity - What fears are still lingering? What's shifted in their self perception through this change? What would strengthen their confidence in this change? Connect as humans, step into their shoes, and aim to identify the true source of resistance.
Share feedback - if after being curious and empathetic to their process of absorbing change, they're exhibiting resistance that is becoming problematic for the team, you need to address it with an open and honest feedback conversation.
What if they understand the change and they just don't like it?
It's fair that some changes cause folks to question the path and trajectory they're on.
Changes also have a way of helping people gain clarity of what's really important to them.
Having an open and honest conversation about if they can get on board is important.
If they can: better understand what will help them get there more quickly and align on how they should be engaging with the team while they're still processing.
If they can't: it's fair to broach the topic of their future in the role. If they fundamentally can't and won't get on board, explore timelines and align on expectations for their attitude and engagement in the meantime.
That's it for today!
Comment below or send me your follow up questions (katie@enduranceboss.com)!
