The evidence is overwhelming. Why do so many organizations struggle, while others succeed at delivering change?
“At the root of all change and innovation challenges is a leadership opportunity,” argues Chris Laping, in his new book, “PEOPLE BEFORE THINGS: Change isn’t and end-user problem.”
It’s natural to wonder how change leaders are different than plain old leaders. In truth, they should be one in the same. Harvard Business Review says that one of the seven skills you need to thrive in the C-suite is change management.
Change leadership takes a different approach. It starts with, “How can I, as a leader, set our people up for success with this new thing that’s coming their way?”
While good change leadership needs project leaders to do their part, it requires enablement by executive leaders prior to the project team lifting a finger on the delivery work. It then requires ongoing nurturing and support (activation) during the implementation phase—which is owned by project leaders, grassroots influencers, and executives.
Change Leadership = Enabling + Activating People for Change
Three particular conditions have more influence on success than any other: Alignment, Design and Capacity where executive leaders own all three.
People need to know why a change is coming and why it is needed (alignment), the change needs to be intuitive and easy to understand (design), and the decks need to be cleared so people can focus on the change (capacity).
Source: Chris Laping: People Before Things
More Self-Coaching Leadership Books in ebook or paperback editions:
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