Leading and Influencing Through Change

By: Andy Fry, Coach, Renogize Professional Coaching

“The times, they are a changin’.” 

Bob Dylan wrote that over 60 years ago, however the pace of change seems to be rapidly increasing. Some of your team members love change and thrive in it, while others experience stress and anxiety just thinking about change happening.  

If change is a constant, then the question becomes, “How do I lead myself and others through change?” 

Our first step is to start with our desired outcome.  A common desired outcome is for our team members to adopt change at the speed and tempo needed in our industry. 

Next, we next need to evaluate our ability and our team’s ability to embrace change: 

• For those who thrive in change, ensure we/they aren’t changing just for the sake of change and variety. Doing so may result in mistakes, unnecessary eventual pivoting, and undue stress on the team.  

• For those reluctant to change, ensure we/they aren’t dragging the company down for the sake of comfort. Doing so may result in missed opportunities, smaller market shares, and undue stress on the team. 

Lastly, we need to craft and communicate a clear message to get our teams to change. Our job as the leader is to clearly articulate what that tempo is and why it is important. Identifying change champions on your team at this stage can be extremely helpful. Who are your influential early adopters that can assist you in achieving buy-in from others? 

Leading through change still breaks down to simply being a good leader. Know your people and influence their behavior for the greater good. You can do it. Now go and lead yourself, and others, well! 

“…you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone.  For the times, they are a changin.”