Ep 20 - Four Steps to Not Freeze Your Team in the Face of Change

Power Up Your Team Podcast

You have chartered your business through ever-changing territory and you always think ahead and know when to hit the brake and when to make a sharp turn.

But you recognize that your team is getting tired and paralyzed in the face of constant change. What are some measures you can take to create emotional safety for your team?

Welcome to episode 20 of Power Up your Team podcast.

Change is inevitable in today’s world. However, it is difficult for most of us. Our instincts are trying to keep us safe and that often means we avoid the unknown. We experience change in our personal and professional lives.

And it is often the compounding effect of change that wears people out.

Additionally, we all react to and deal with change in our own unique ways. If not implemented thoughtfully, constant change can freeze your team.

So what can you do to keep your team motivated and inspired in the face of frequent twists and turns in your business?

Change – large or small - occurs everywhere: in strategy, people, process and tools.

Some changes are driven by outside influences such as regulatory requirements and outside of your control. Others are required so you can achieve your business goals:

You may decide to exit a market, stop offering a service a producing a product. That might have implications on people’s jobs, their roles and the relationships they have built inside and outside your organization.

You decide to implement new technology that offers new processing capabilities. While some team members are excited, others may worry if they can learn quickly enough to adjust.

You added a completely new department and hired a leader from the outside. You feel great about it as now you have more time to think strategically. But some of your team members may be worried sick over having to report to someone new.

A change you are excited about as business leader may cause woes and worries for team members.

Here are four steps to consider when introducing change:

Set context

1. Explain what is changing and how it aligns to the strategic direction of your business. Check out episode 3 “Don’t lose you team on the road to success” where I talk about how you can bring your team along so they understand where the business is headed.

2. Explain WHY the change is occurring and how it helps to get closer to strategic goals. People will quickly figure out if change is for better or just for sake of change.

3. Explains when the change is happening and what it means for your team members. Different roles may be impacted in a different way.

Be authentic

4. Be transparent and acknowledge that change is part of business. Share how you are dealing with change. Admit that it sometimes can be overwhelming and it’s ok to feel that way.

Give space

5. Help people fully understand how the change is impacting them.

6. Give them time to process. Create forums so people can ask questions and discuss amongst each other.

7. Be approachable and take time to understand concerns.

Read on at www.Powerupyourteam.com/20 to find out about step 4!