While
lighthouses are a beacon of consistency, in business (and in life in general),
change seems constant.
Some
changes are beneficial and occur mostly under the control of management. Some
changes occur outside of a company’s control and they can hurt.
In
terms of change effectiveness, we have found that it is always best for leaders
to be honest about change and how they view it. That is the way to gain the
trust of employees who are quick to recognize a lack of authenticity. Employees
want the truth as much as they look for a model to inspire them in how to
accept painful changes.
Think
of a difficult change…perhaps the loss of a beloved manager who is retiring.
Change management training and consulting professionals offer advice on how to
handle these changes in order to incur the least amount of upset. They
recommend that leaders should not sugar-coat the change but acknowledge the
loss. Such a change can be significant…especially to those employees most
affected. Plan an appropriate gathering to honor the retiree and give employees
an opportunity to express their feelings. Such rituals can help enormously to
accept changes that hurt.
