The challenges of change leadership

Competition and change is one thing in the business environment that remains constant so how can a Leader help ensure their organization will survive? The first thing a leader must do is understand why change is necessary. The competitive and global nature of today's business environment forces organizations to change or face being driven out of business by its competitors. Change can help reshape business operations so a company effectively and efficiently meets the customer's demands. Leaders need to understand this process if they are going to successfully guide their companies through the turbulent journey of remaining competitive in today's market place.

Every leader should have the ability to create a vision and strategy for the organization. It's the leader's responsibility to set the strategic direction for the company and then align the company's goal with that vision. This means leaders must also be able to explain the vision to the entire workforce because employees will have a direct impact on whether the change will be successful or not!

But leaders need to be able to do more than create strategic plans and communicate them to the organization - they need to develop a complete "toolbox" for them to be successful! But what is "Leadership" and what are the attributes of successful leaders? Of course managers are also involved with development of strategic objectives and communicating to employees so what's the difference between managers and leaders? The difference can best be described as:

Managers do things right - Leaders do the right thing

This statement clearly shows that there is a difference between being a manager and being a leader! A person could be an excellent manager that contributes to the success of the company by using their "positional power" to direct, supervise and manage the resources of an organization. The leader's role is much more complex and demanding because they do more than manage resources - they inspire and influence people so that the company's objectives can be achieved. Good leadership makes people want to achieve their very best rather than just meeting a day-to-day objective.

What else can a leader do to ensure their change efforts will be successful? Demonstrating leadership commitment is another way to inspire people. Leadership commitment must be demonstrated in both words and deeds because it takes a long time for people to hear, understand and believe in the leader's message.

Leaders also support change efforts by creating a sense of urgency in the organization, building a team that can guide the change process, continually communicating the need for change and then empowering people to carry out the required change efforts.

Leaders must also develop structures and/or procedures that support the change efforts. These could include developing pilot programs, conducting workshops, delivering training on the change or even redesigning systems, like the reward system, to emphasize new ways of doing business. Leaders must also reinforce and institutionalize the change efforts so the new culture and beliefs become widely accepted in the company.

In addition to supporting change efforts, a successful leader must be able to motivate the entire workforce and they can accomplish this by being honorable, ethical and having a vision worth believing in. If a leader displays these characteristics they easily gain the respect and support of their staff. In fact, a leader that is honorable and trustworthy will always "Do the Right Thing" and their staff will willingly follow them anywhere!