As you walk through a busy airport or have to visit a hospital emergency triage unit, you notice the rapid pace of movement everywhere; sometimes, it’s life and death and at other times, it’s a very quick series of events happening in succession. Most of us, however, don’t work at a critical care hospital unit or deal with literal fires. Most industrial or white collar work should have a more ready pace that is manageable by everyone.
However, everyday organizations and leaders are facing new realities at work as complex and rapid changes, within customers, supplier partners, stockholders and employees. Very often, it’s not one change – but multiple changes that happen simultaneously that confound our leadership style and push our boundaries of decision making.
I had an operational leadership role once, where I had 65 facilities around the world producing chemicals for the building materials industry. One morning, I would be waking up to a typhoon hitting the Philippines and the need to safeguard employees and assets, and the next day, there would be theft in South Africa and we needed to run an investigation and set up new security measures everywhere. To top it off, I had that psychotic CEO who liked to scream at people and make them feel small (and of course, make himself feel big).
Often, your roles may seem like just a series of rapid changes; how do you prepare for a role like that? What sort of training makes you ready for rapidfire change?
When you sit back and think about it, there is no special training for chaotic situations, circumstances or bosses. The change management process may just have to happen quickly, getting ready for the next change that is coming towards you – and the more experience you have dealing with this type of change, the faster you will be able to respond to it.
Change is change; it’s difficult, often complex and unpredictable.
The best thing you can do, during change, is communicate EXTRA! Providing quick updates to all stakeholders, as change is taking place, is super critical, helpful and calming. The more information people have (about the quantity and quality of the change), often is the single most important differentiator between a good leader, and an average leader.
Having clearly articulated roles and responsibilities, is another major determinant of successful change management processes. During rapid change, the importance of that clarity becomes magnified. During a storm, if you don’t know who is supposed to do what, when, or how – then everybody will be getting in each other’s way.
Create an operating rhythm so that everyone gets a “touchbase” virtual or live meeting every day/midday/hour or whatever frequency you and your team believe it’s required to touch base. Keep the meetings short, information oriented. I like “standup” meetings – less than 15 minutes – where people quickly report what has happened and what needs to happen. This is not a meeting to make decisions; it’s to keep everyone informed.
Visualize Metrics and Measures (of both success and failures) can serve as motivational and accountability tools during rapid change.Use modern information tech or just a plain white board, let your team know if they’re winning or losing the change during this time. One of the biggest complaints I have received from teams is they never know if they are winning (or losing). Imagine, if you had to win a big game, and didn’t know the score!
Leaders needs to become more compassionate during change – and keep calm. I’ve experienced where certain bosses just add fuel to the fire – instead of helping others to bring the fire under control. The best question a leader can ask their team, during rapidly changing circumstances, “How can I help?” or “What do you need from me?” Often leaders have a strong belief that their team members will automatically come to them – when they need help. And some team members do that. But most of us believe that asking for help during a crisis or chaos is unhelpful (and shows weakness). Hence, leaders need to go out of the way to ask everyone if they need help. This shows compassion, strength and camaraderie, all at once.
As change keeps happening, all around us, we cannot deny or sit back and develop just a “peace-time” work environment; we must think about contingencies when change will likely accelerate. Sitting your team down (preferably with pizza), on a Friday peacetime afternoon, having a candid scenario planning of a real possibility is a great way to build team camaraderie – but also communicates to the the team that you’re serious about an upcoming change and you want everyone to start planning for it.
As the world becomes more complex, and one after another new situations and circumstances take over our daily world, we have to accept that multi-dimensional, non-stop change keeps coming at us like waves in an ocean. If things aren’t changing, very likely, your organization isn’t growing.
At The Doorstep of Heaven 