Your Changing Organization: How To Lead Through Change

Why The Vision Matters During Time of Change

Every successful transformation begins with a vision. 

A strong vision acts as the North Star, guiding your organization through the uncertainties of change. Change shakes confidence. A Vision inspires it. Change is ripe for misalignment. A vision aligns the actions you’re asking of your team with the goals they are already familiar with.Change raises anxiety and can cause misunderstandings.  A vision unites employees and leaders behind a shared purpose. 

Without a vision for your change, your team is not going to feel secure on this new path they’ve been steered toward.

Chocolate Cake For Dinner

Let me ask you this:

Why choose to cook a healthy, balanced meal for dinner tonight when you could just finish off that leftover chocolate cake instead?

I’d wager that when you were 5 years old, the chocolate cake would’ve been your first choice.

But at some point that changed. You set goals for yourself– wanting to live a long & healthy life, wanting to keep your mind sharp, wanting to set a good example for your children. You began to live life according to the laws of your core values and you drew up pathways for yourself that would lead you to achieving your goals. 

And unfortunately, daily chocolate cake for dinner was not on any of those pathways.

Your decision to swap the cake for some veggies and protein wasn’t the easier option, and it certainly wasn’t the more fun option either. It was the option that aligned with your central mission. And still, with the cake ever-present in your sight, it is so tempting.

So, let me ask you again. Why not cake for dinner?

That “why” is your vision.  And the cake is the multitude of temptations that occur during change.

Without that “why”, there would be nothing connecting your decision about tonight’s dinner with your desire to get in a good workout before the office every morning. 

So you decide to indulge in delicious chocolate cake each evening, and then you’re stuck wondering why you can’t seem to have the energy for the gym the next day.

Bring Your Why To Your Team

Ultimately, your “why” needs to be crystal clear to you and your team. If that “why” is not clearly communicated in a way that effectively connects the current change to the overarching mission your team has been working toward, they’re going to choose the chocolate cake and your goals will not become reality.

Here’s your challenge this week:

Identify your vision. What does it look like on the other side of change? Make sure it’s crystal-clear to you first. Then ask yourself:

What am I asking of my team right now and how does it connect to our broader mission and values?

And how can I bring that connection into focus? What are the steps, strategies, and tactics my team needs to take to pursue the vision?

Really hitting home that vision could look like telling stories that allows the new change in operations to resonate with your team. This could also look like individually engaging members of your team in the shifting trajectory, asking them for their opinions and coaching them to see your vision. 

You’re going to receive pushback, no doubt. Luckily, there are ways to take this pushback in stride and use it to strengthen your team’s connection to your vision.

But more on that next week. For now,

Go. Be. Profound.

-G