Championing change looks different at every level of leadership. For most of you, you’re managing the impacts of a change or championing a change for others, whether it is for your organization or C-suite leaders. If you are trying to influence a change that you don’t have full control on, giving yourself time to seek out more information before taking any action is crucial.
In my last post, I wrote about how to manage change in four stages. These four stages help to identify actions you can take as a leader to manage the resistance towards change.
But what if you are championing a change on behalf of others? What if you are feeling uncertain about the change yourself? It’s hard to inspire confidence when you’re not connected with it internally.
This post will help you think through the different aspects of the change that you are trying to influence. It will help you get answers to the right questions so that you can confidently drive change and inspire others to take action.
Questions to Ask When Championing Change on Behalf of Others
In stages one and two of change, we often experience shock, denial or resistance. One way to manage these emotions is to have as much information about the change as possible.
This does not only apply to managing the emotions of others but also your own.
Below are a list of questions to ask and reflect on in the early stages of change. Exploring all aspects of change is crucial in early stages. Getting answers to these questions will help you come up with an action plan to help your teams adapt during this transition.
If you don’t have all of the answers, reach out to those who can help or seek out other resources.
- What is causing this change?
- Why is this important to the organization?
- What is the immediate impact of the change?
- What is its long-term impact?
- What is this change costing you and the team?
- How can you mitigate the negative impacts of the change?
- How can you increase the positive impacts that the change will bring?
- What do you need to address in order to decrease resistance to change?
- How can you motivate others during this transition?
Preparing Your Team for Change
Once you have considered all aspects of this change and feel confident about it, you can start to make a communication plan, taking these four stages of change into consideration.
How Leadership Coaching Can Help You Champion Change More Confidently
The negative emotions that come with change can keep us from taking empowering actions. Coaching can help create more awareness on these your thoughts and emotions. It can help you explore new ways of thinking and feeling that will lead you to more productive behaviors!
If you’d like to feel more connected with your work and lead with more confidence, click here to book a 45-minute complimentary discovery call. I’d love to chat with you!
