Here's how you can lead and motivate teams effectively during times of change.

Motivating teams through periods of sustained change can be one of the toughest leadership challenges. Experience has taught me: 1. Change "management" is misleading - you can lead & implement change, but change can't actually be managed 2. Embrace change - great leaders show their own willingness to change before asking their teams to change 3. Communicate openly - communicate at the firm, team, and personal levels across multiple channels, especially in-person 4. Be clear - clarity, particularly around expectations, pays dividends 5. Empower your Middle Managers - they can be effective change agents 6. Invite feedback - listen deeply to what's being said (and what's not being said!) 7. Recognise all efforts, even small/incremental changes

Understanding the importance of adaptation can be the cornerstone of your leadership style. Communicate openly and transparently with your team about the changes ahead. Encourage dialogue and feedback to foster a sense of inclusion and shared purpose. Recognize and celebrate small victories along the way to keep morale high. Empower your team by providing them with the resources and support they need to navigate change successfully. Lead by example by embracing change yourself and demonstrating resilience in the face of uncertainty.

In a leadership role, embracing change is essential for guiding your team through transitions effectively. Recognize the challenges and uncertainties inherent in change, but more importantly, highlight the opportunities it brings. Your proactive and positive response to change sets the tone for your team. Demonstrating commitment and resilience in the face of new directions encourages your team to adopt a similar outlook, mitigating fear and fostering a collective confidence. This mindset shift is crucial for transforming potential anxieties into a unified, forward-moving force.

Many leaders don’t realize that their primary role is Change Agent. If you are new to the role, you may have major changes to implement across the three vectors of People, Process, and Tools. If the team is functioning & stable, you may be looking to change on just one of these vectors. But, Change is at the core of what you’ll be leading and learning how to effectively set a clear vision, inspire them that this change will benefit them (the “what’s in it for me” piece), build trust that you are the right leader to get them there, and then execute on that path will all be critical steps. Remember that most people don’t like the ambiguity of what Change may mean for them and so they’re resistant. You’ll need to overcome their fears.

Disruption is inevitable. How #leadership responds to change determines how the organization will respond. Approaching disruption as an opportunity can significantly shift attention from fear and uncertainty to innovation, problem-solving, and excitement. Inviting the entire organization to get involved and make contributions relevant to their roles and responsibilities can elevate collaboration, minimize distractions, and accelerate the process - and the stress that can be created from uncertainty. In a marketplace where AI is changing the competitive landscape faster than ever, building and leading an #innovation culture is one of the best investments any leader can make!

As leaders, it's crucial to embrace change and ensure our team grasps its importance in driving progress. Many question the need to modify long-standing processes, often responding with, "Because that's how I want it done now." Effective leadership involves persuasive communication, convincing them of the benefits of your strategy over the old approach. Once they embrace your vision, positive outcomes follow as they become actively engaged in the change process. Articulating both short and long-term visions is vital because people seek leadership that involves them in the process, not just bystanders.

Change is the only constant. Though as human beings we are resistant to any type of change. The sooner you embrace change, the better it will be for you and the team around you. Study and analyse the opportunities offered by these changes, as well as the challenges that are likely to be faced. Take change with a positive attitude, because that is how your team will take it. Your resilience in accepting these changes will motivate your team to adapt to this in a better manner. They will feel encouraged by your attitude and will try and overcome their fears brought about by these changes.

Involving team members in the change process can foster a sense of ownership and commitment. Seek their input, ideas, and feedback throughout the process. Create cross-functional teams or working groups to collaborate on planning and implementing the change. This approach not only leverages the collective expertise of the team but also increases buy-in and reduces resistance. Identify and empower change agents or champions within the team – individuals who are enthusiastic about the change and can influence others positively. These individuals can serve as role models, provide peer support, and help disseminate information and enthusiasm throughout the team.

As leaders, it is expected to effectively guide and motivate teams through times of change. By leading with empathy, providing clear direction and empowering team members, we can navigate change with confidence. It is essential to maintain open communication channels to identify problems and address these early on, monitor progress regularly and inspire confidence in the team's abilities to drive successful outcomes by openly discussing risks and opportunities. In challenging times, celebrating both individual and team milestones becomes more important than ever to foster resilience and a positive outlook. In conclusion, embrace change as an opportunity for growth and innovation, and empower your team to thrive amidst transformation.

An outcome of good communication is an increase in engagement in the change process. It's important to *Expand individual’s ownership of the change *Hasten the change process *Build a critical mass of support *Increase the number of those who support the change. Creating a communication plan is an ongoing process. It starts the day you are first involved in a change effort & continues until everything has been implemented. Communication improves the quality of decisions & the commitment to the effort. Different groups & persons need to be involved in various ways. Communication plan should have BOTH giving & getting information. Deliver info in varied ways-email, meetings,1-1, etc. Create also a plan to gather info via FGD, survey,1-1, etc.

Over-communicating is essential—not just sharing the 'what' but also the 'why' behind decisions. This helps everyone on the team understand the context and the goals. Also, it’s super important to give people time to digest the information and come back with thoughts or concerns. This ongoing dialogue allows us to revisit discussions with fresh perspectives, fostering a deeper understanding and stronger alignment within the team.

Open communication is foundational in effective leadership, especially during times of change. Maintain transparency about what the changes entail and their potential impacts on the team. Actively listen to your team's concerns and feedback, addressing them comprehensively and promptly. By nurturing an environment where team members feel valued and heard, you strengthen trust and facilitate collaboration. This open dialogue not only aligns the team but also garners valuable insights, enabling you to refine strategies and ensure all team members are engaged and moving toward a common goal.

Communication is the key. In case of changes , if our team is aware of reason of changes along with its benefits, then chances of accepting the change become high. Team should be communicated well in advance.

We've found huge benefits from "Backwards Brainstorming" in change. As leaders, we focus communication on the positive aspects of the change, while our teams are stuck thinking of everything that could go wrong. When you collaborate with your team to list all the possible negative consequences of the change, you get an understanding of what is on their mind. Make sure you don't disregard their concerns. Write them all down without judgment. Then start to ask, "is this likely to happen?" and "what would the impact be if it did happen?" Your team will realize some of their concerns are unfounded, and you'll see some true potential challenges. For those real challenges, you can engage the team in solutions to increase their buy in.

One of the biggest ways to demotivate your employees is to say nothing. I speak from personal experience. It’s better to say ‘I don’t have an update yet’ or ‘I’ll work on getting you an answer ‘versus going radio silent. Remember: If you don’t communicate, your employees will start creating their own narrative.

As much as open communication is a bedrock of managing change - the other things that matter here are (1) CONTENT and (2) TIMING. It is necessary to have an environment in which teams can question freely and fearlessly - but it is also important for teams to understand that sometimes their leaders are not at liberty to 'over share'. At times sensitivity of content determines when it can be openly shared... as much as we expect our leaders to communicate openly - we must also know to trust and believe them when they say, 'we will let you know'. Needless to say this equation exists when leaders have invested in creating and building trust in the past... leaders can't expect to be semi-transparent if they haven't set the ground for this.

Effective communication is crucial during times of change. Leaders should be transparent about the reasons behind the change, the expected outcomes, and how it will impact the team. Regularly share updates, address concerns, and provide a clear vision of the future state. Encourage open dialogue and create platforms where team members can voice their opinions, concerns, and ideas.

Prioritize clear communication about changes and impacts. Foster two-way dialogue for concerns and questions, making members feel valued. Frame change as a growth opportunity, focusing on benefits. Ensure consistent updates to prevent rumors. Clarify roles in the transition, giving a sense of purpose. Acknowledge challenges but emphasize the team's resilience and past victories. By being transparent, promoting involvement, and highlighting change's positives, you build trust and motivation, leading your team confidently through change.

The key aspects to communication would in this instance be : ensure you listen to your teams requests and needs / and ensure your team understands the messages you want to convey by using the right words at the right time. Change being disruptive even for those who overcome it successfully, being seen as an open communicator and someone approchable softens the transition and makes it more understandable by the team. Open communication is also transparency on elements that you are aware of and may share depending on the level of confidentiality linked to them and your position.

Clear goal setting is pivotal during times of change. Articulate a concise vision of the objectives you aim to achieve and delineate this into attainable steps. This strategy provides your team with direction and a sense of stability amidst change. Ensure these goals are practical and within reach, celebrating milestones to boost morale and motivation. This structured approach helps focus efforts and gives your team a tangible sense of achievement as they progress, crucial for maintaining engagement and momentum towards the ultimate vision.

I asked a seasoned tech founder for some advice about how to think about leading a team during change and uncertainty? He shared that you’re either climbing or dancing. Your job is to figure out which and act accordingly. If you’re climbing, you clearly know where you’re headed with your business/product/offering. Your goal: → Help your team find the next basecamp and then the next and the next until you reach the top If you’re dancing, you need your team to help get somewhere with you - that somewhere isn’t clear. Your goal: → Be crystal clear about your “why.” This will help your team find direction when the product/offering/solution roadmap is unclear. Now, it's up to you to figure out if you're climbing or dancing.

Yes .. clarity of goals is important but it also needs to be supported by other elements of the business. It’s not just about the numbers or deliverables, it’s the intention and motivation that are equally critical as well. Why do the goals need to be achieved ? How are our goals align with our vision and mission?

In times of change, leading and motivating teams is crucial. Set clear goals to provide direction and focus. Clear goals help team members understand what's expected. They can see the path forward more clearly. This clarity reduces confusion and boosts morale. When everyone knows what they're working towards, they're more motivated. People know what they're responsible for achieving. This accountability drives productivity and results. So, during times of change, remember to set clear goals. They'll guide your team through uncertainty and keep them motivated.

ADKAR model can be a framework for understanding change at an individual level—particularly helpful. It focuses on five key elements: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. By addressing each of these stages, I ensure that my team is not only aware of the changes but also motivated and equipped to adapt. Moreover, I encourage open dialogue, inviting team members to share their concerns and ideas for achieving our goals collaboratively. This fosters a sense of ownership and collective responsibility, strengthening our cohesion as we navigate change together. Ultimately, setting clear goals within a structured framework empowers my team to embrace change with confidence and resilience.

To ensure there are clear goals during change, only use SMART goals. Also ensure these goals are clear and concise, without any ambiguity. None of the goals should overlap. The agreed goals should then be prioritized. Not all goals can be achieved at the same time. The most important goals, or the most strategic goals, should be achieved first. When goals are too lofty, make sure to break those down into smaller goals.

Be transparent with your team about what's happening. Listen actively to their concerns and ideas. Provide clear direction and support to keep everyone focused. Acknowledge and celebrate small wins along the way. Encourage open communication and collaboration among team members. Stay adaptable and responsive to challenges as they arise. Remember, your team's success is your success.

Storytelling is an effective way to support your team when going through change. These stories should resonate with your team. Your team members should be able to relate to the main character(s) of the story. And build the desire to change as a result. Listen to your team. Encourage the team to start the conversation by sharing their experiences. As people share their experiences, listen for who is dissenting or significantly challenged by the change. The voice of the outlier can provide key insights. Ask what-if questions. This encourages people to think boldly. This allows for moving boundaries when continuing to ask what-if questions.

Change management is very crucial and needs to be dealt with utmost care. Employees are not machines, and hence, constantly supporting them by answering their queries in timely manner, constant communication with them will definitely help them to embrace change gracefully.

Embrace the role of a true "Servant Leader" when guiding teams through change. Empower your teams by acting as a facilitator or coach, allowing them to take ownership and lead the change process. Keep the team at the forefront, removing any obstacles and offering unwavering support. Authenticity is key in building trust with your team, so ensure transparency in your actions. Furthermore, prioritize the well-being of your team members. Consider implementing regular "Team Health Assessments" to gauge the team's overall well-being and identify areas for improvement. Openly showcase the actions taken to enhance the team's health, fostering trust and expediting progress in the change environment. You are "Born To Win", let the team embrace it.

Share your commitment to supporting your team throughout the transition process. Lead by example by maintaining a positive attitude and demonstrating resilience in the face of challenges. Create opportunities for discussion and feedback, allowing team members to share their thoughts and concerns openly. Follow-up in a timely manner with much needed resources, support and training to ensure the updates are well-executed and prepared for. Always check in with your team to guage how the changes are impacting their work. Always support them with training, tools and resources to be successful.

Focus On Fun. Making change can be made creative, inspiring and disruptive—find ways to bring this into your team and company via storytelling, case studies and new projects. Use the new technologies or financial constraints to focus on innovation and boundary-pushing, testing new ways of working. There's never been a better moment to rethink and challenge the status quo.

Be authentic. Acknowledge the growing pains. And offer space for your team to share their personal pains as well. Having an open team forum can be effective for aligning the whole team but also check in during 1:1s. Sometimes the safety of a direct conversation is what an employee needs to open up.

Try the SCARF framework that addresses five social domains: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness—can be instrumental. By attending to these factors, I can better understand and address the concerns and anxieties of team members during times of transition. Moreover, I actively encourage open communication and feedback loops to ensure that everyone feels heard and valued. This fosters a sense of trust and psychological safety within the team, which is crucial for navigating change effectively. By prioritizing support and understanding, I aim to foster resilience and cohesion within the team, enabling us to emerge stronger from any challenge.

When leaders attempt to lead team members through change, they often focus on the change. Instead, shift your focus to your individual team members. Ask questions like: How do you feel about the change? What do you hope to get out of this change? Are there things I can do to support you? Their answers to these questions will give you insights on how to lead the change while ensuring your team members are supported. When people feel that you genuinely care about their well being (and not just accomplishing a goal) they'll be more likely to trust you to lead them.

Encouraging an open mindset and providing the necessary training to adapt to new environments are pivotal steps. As leaders, we must lead by example, demonstrating flexibility and openness to alternative solutions. This not only sets a positive tone but also reassures the team that adaptability is not just encouraged but supported. When team members see this value in action, they're more likely to embrace change proactively and contribute creatively to overcoming challenges. This approach ensures the team remains resilient and dynamic, ready to thrive in any new situation.

Be clear, upfront, and direct regarding the change process. People function better with safety and security. They want to know where they stand. If that is uncertain or there is vagueness in who they are, their stability, and worth, the change will need more motivation as the uncertainty will heighten. The best approach is to let the team know all updates of the change as they develop. As a leader, I understand that sharing everything prematurely is risky and often prohibited. However, factual information about people's lives, well-being, and financial future is worth it in times of change.

Acknowledging and appreciating efforts, contributions, and behavioral changes are pivotal, especially in a change environment. Recognition should differ from normal situations, with a primary focus on positive behavioral changes, taking ownership of risks etc. It's essential to appreciate progress throughout the journey, not just at milestones, as this boosts team morale. As a leader, your role extends beyond personal recognition to fostering a culture of appreciation. Encourage peer-to-peer recognition, team acknowledgments, and recognizing leadership within the team. Cultivating an appreciation culture becomes a critical success factor for your leadership skills.

We often only recognize efforts that are tied to success. Doing that can unintentionally create a situation in which only high-performers are recognized. Consider how people have exemplified key traits (having each other's backs, encouraging one another, etc) that may be overlooked because they aren't necessarily task oriented. Making a point to recognize these kind of efforts in addition to high-performers will encourage your team to develop healthy habits that foster group success. Once these healthy group habits have been fostered, this will provide a foundation for that team to successfully navigate change.

Change can be exhausting. One way to boost energy and motivation is to celebrate the small wins. Taking time to enjoy getting to the next milestone can be the boost your team needs to keep going.

I never realized how important recognition in the workplace truly is until I had one of my team members who had worked at a renowned corporate company for over 20 years say to me, "My thoughts and perspectives were never valued this much at my old company as they are here." Taking the time to see, hear, and recognize your team members goes a long way. Here's the secret sauce - recognize their ideas even if you don't implement them. As a leader, I realized my team was less concerned if I actually implemented their idea, rather they just wanted to know their voice was heard and their perspective mattered. Isn't that so powerful?

Like so many things related to leadership, the context is all-important. Is it rapid change or change over time? Is it a dramatic change or incremental change? Is your team used to change or is it rare that they are asked to change? What kind of buy-in do you have? All those factors will inform how you lead. Do your homework to assess the change because the better you understand it, the more able you'll be to lead your people through it.

Adaptive, being Encouraging and Communicating with flexibility are the core skills to be an effective decision maker in any circumstance or change around.

Change is exhausting for people when it’s reactive. Over the last few years and moving forward, change is going to be rapid, unpredictable and exponential. We need to create space, time and opportunity for reflection, research and learning. People become sceptical of and negative towards change when they feel that initiatives and systems are done to them, often feeling like it isn’t change but more work on top of what they already do. You need to ensure that change isn’t top down but inclusively discussed, developed and implemented. Finally, in order to develop sustainable models of change you need to create powerful cultures of psychological safety, where people can talk & reflect openly about issues, concerns, strengths & weaknesses.

Absolutely! Communication is key and needs to be clear and consistent from day one. It's also important, if possible, to explain what isn't changing! Many times doing so, as part of clear consistent communications, goes a long way to avoid skepticism and resistance.

As a leader, your actions and attitude will significantly influence your team's perception and response to change. Embrace the change yourself and model the desired behaviors and mindset. Demonstrate resilience, positivity, and a willingness to learn and adapt. When team members see their leader actively supporting and embodying the change, they are more likely to follow suit.

To lead and motivate teams you must engage authentically with them. I find building and practicing these four leadership paradoxes to be essential to engage and motivate teams: 1. Learned Improvisation - Getting good at thinking on your feet. 2. Confident Humility—This is a fantastic way to express that you do not have all the answers and need the assistance of others. 3. Knowledgeable Curiosity - You don't know everything and want to learn. 4. Powerful Vulnerability - By being vulnerable, you invite others to engage and share. They see you on peer level. Taken together this promotes collaboration. It is no longer "Them vs Us," it becomes a cohesive and coherent "We" that makes the impossible plausible.

Remember that are the heart of all change is people. Every person in your team will have a different balance of responses to change, will move through their own emotions and thoughts at different paces, and will all view the change differently. Allow them to move through all this at their own pace, answer their questions, and give them the skills they need to obtain a feeling of competence again. Encourage them to support each other, and remember that while a lot of the process is communication out to the group, it's just as important to check in on the individuals too.

Leading through change is key for success. Communicate openly about why and how changes impact the team. Listen, empathize, and provide clear direction. Stay adaptable and celebrate wins together. Lead by example.

While going through canine training I was told to start teaching bones out of the pups' mouth when it is enjoying the most. Once the pup is able to control itself with that irritation it will never get aggressive. Same with getting the team to accept change. As a training exercise, bring in a major change just before the project completion. The team will learn to accept the fact that change is a part of life.