What is the main driver behind the need for leadership?
Think about it for a moment. Why do we need leadership in the first place?
With all this AI coming online, you might be thinking that leadership is headed toward extinction, like the dinosaurs. I am being a bit sarcastic. If anything, AI challenges us to become even better leaders because of the pace of change it brings with it.
Change drives the need for leadership.
If nothing changes, there is not much need for leadership. We go on autopilot.
We design systems or robots to repeat the process. And what eventually happens? We decide to change the process. When that occurs, we need leadership to marshal human effort, rethink what works, and bring a better process into reality.
Leaders are judged by how they handle change. And if there is one constant in life, it is this: change is constant. That means there will always be a need for leadership.
So why do so many leaders stumble in the face of change?
There are plenty of reasons. Sometimes leaders do not fully understand the change they are facing. Sometimes they allow their egos to get in the way. Sometimes they underestimate the emotional impact change has on people. I have fallen victim to many of these traps on my journey as a SEAL platoon commander, CEO, father, and community leader.
Over the years, I developed a simple framework that has guided me past my own fear of change and helped me rally others to embrace it.
As I have mentioned before, I love acronyms that are memorable and aligned with the goal you are striving to achieve.
If someone cannot remember what you taught them, it is of no use.
It represents six fundamental actions a leader must take when inspiring people to step out of their comfort zone and embrace something new with urgency. Remember, only you will determine your limitations!
C – Craft a change story
H – Honor past work
A – Acknowledge change challenges
N – Name the biggest challenge
G – Give reasons to believe in succeeding at the change
E – Engage with action
People relate to stories far better than they respond to being told what to do.
It is especially difficult to get people to take a new action after they have become comfortable taking an old, habit-forming action. When change happens, the first responsibility of a leader is to comprehend the situation and craft a compelling story about why adapting now matters.
The more personal the story, the better.
Story is a powerful tool in galvanizing teammates into taking new, change-adapting actions. We are wired to listen to stories and to relate to them. When your change story connects to your team’s reality and speaks to why the shift matters, people are far more willing to listen to what actions they must take next.
People are sentimental, especially when it comes to the way they have been doing something for a while. They develop emotional attachment to the past. Rightly or wrongly, they do not want to discard old work for new processes.
There is a natural human tendency to cling to what we know. You will hear phrases like, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” Learning something new requires struggle. It carries an element of fear. What if I fail? What if I am not good at this new approach?
As a leader, part of helping others embrace change is honoring their past work. Let them know their previous efforts mattered. Let them know their experience helped bring the team to this moment.
People do not want to believe that what they did before no longer counts. When you honor the past, you provide hope and inspiration to face the future.
With change comes challenge.
There is the challenge of learning something new. The challenge of facing possible failure. The challenge of working with new tools or new teammates. The scale of the change determines the scale of the challenges.
One of the fastest ways for a leader to lose credibility is to paint an unrealistically rosy picture of change. When team members encounter obstacles that were never mentioned, frustration replaces momentum.
However, when a leader openly acknowledges the challenges ahead, credibility is built. People may still not like the difficulty, which is normal, but they will respect a leader who warns them honestly and empathizes with what they are about to face.
Acknowledging challenge does not weaken resolve. It strengthens trust.
Once challenges are acknowledged, it is time to work the problem.
Start by naming the biggest problem to solve first. Turn the problem into a mission, much like any special military mission is given a name. I have always found naming problems to be a powerful way to focus attention and rally effort.
When we were developing the Perfect Pushup, I called the effort Operation Phoenix, as if a phoenix was rising from the ashes of a failed product. That framing energized the team and gave us a shared objective.
Perhaps your challenge is rolling out a new ERP system where everyone must learn new ways to access daily data. One CEO I coached embraced the frustration head-on. He held town hall meetings where people could voice concerns and even share stories of incorrect data output. The conversations eased tension and provided valuable feedback to improve the system.
Naming the problem makes it tangible. It turns ambiguity into action.
Embracing change does not happen overnight. It is a journey, like a ship’s captain leaving the comfort of a safe harbor for a destination that cannot yet be seen.
For a leader to rally a team successfully, they must give their people reasons to believe they can succeed in the pursuit of change. Connect their past capabilities to their future potential. Remind them of previous challenges they have overcome.
People must believe before they can achieve.
Nothing is more frustrating than watching people go through the motions of change without fully committing their talent and energy. Belief fuels commitment. As a leader, one of your most crucial responsibilities is to give your team legitimate reasons to believe they have what it takes to succeed.
All leadership begins and ends with setting the example.
Leaders must engage with their teams through action. That means reminding them why the change matters, reinforcing belief, identifying what is working and what is not, and modeling persistence.
Change is embraced through relentless action. Leaders must lead from the front. When people see and hear consistent engagement from leadership, they begin to recognize progress. Momentum builds.
Engagement leads to embracement.
For all you leaders out there – that’s all of us by the way! – always remember that the future belongs to those who embrace the change of the present. As President Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
Go Be Unstoppable at embracing CHANGE!
Charlie Mike,
Alden