Effective change doesn’t happen by accident.  It is the result of careful planning and thoughtful execution. Leaders play a pivotal role in change because they possess legitimate power to sanction the change, establish the vision, provide direction and resources, and hold organizational members accountable. Everyone looks to the leader for guidance and that person must model the way for the rest of the organization.

Change would be a much tidier process if that were all it took – an effective leader who knows what to do and how to do it and is at the front leading the charge.

But as important as the leader’s role is, it isn’t the leader who ultimately executes change. Change (from simple to complex) is always a matter of people in impacted areas making the transition from the way things are now to the way they’re supposed to be in the future.

Transition at the people level involves, among other things:

• Answering their questions about why and what it will mean for them
• Describing how things will be in the future
• Helping them understand whether or not they will be in that future
• Involving them to co-create that future
• Providing a credible plan for moving forward that speaks to them at their level
• Communicating frequently and reliably about what’s happening now and what will happen next
• Learning new skills and applying new knowledge
• Becoming part of a new work group

How does this all get done? Who is leading the charge on this? More to the point, who should be leading the charge on this? Continue reading →