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> What would it take for you to embrace change (and not brace for change)?

Asked this question in our Agile Change masterclass led by Dr Jen Frahm and Lena Ross, participants put forward: “_letting go of the past_,” “_understand the ‘why_’,” “_see the business case_”, “_being able to ask questions_,” “_understand how and where it will impact me_,” “_an open mindset_,” “_having the information to process the change_,” “_be consulted first_”, “_honesty, transparency, and vulnerability._”    

The answers go some way to revealing **three universal truths** about change leadership, which we set out below.

Jen, and Lena, co-founders of the Agile Change Leadership Institute, taught us why there is a productivity dip into the "valley of despair" when change is introduced, and how leaders can mitigate the fear around change.

**3 universal truths about change leadership**

**#1 All types of change are about people**

The first thing Jen taught us about change, is that is easier when we, the change leaders, have greater self-awareness about our own reaction to change. Self-awareness helps us better understand the responses of those impacted by the change we’re leading and highlights potential blind spots.  

Lena explained that leaders will often introduce change in an offhand manner “Oh, it’s only a tech change” or “It’s just a system change.” But  she emphasises that change is always about people, not things.  

**#2 For each change there is a change initiator and a change receiver**

When announcing change to the receiver, the initiator must display empathy. Humans are hard-wired to respond intensely to loss, and to fight or flight in response to threats, or in this case, change. Change can feel threatening to the receiver on a number of fronts, as explained by the S.C.A.R.F. model of fear triggers (Rock D. & Schwartz. J, 2006)

**Status** Will I still feel good about myself? Will I have to be a beginner again?

**Certainty** What do I know for sure & when will I know more?

**Autonomy** Will I have control over what I'm doing?

**Relatedness** Are you one of my tribe or will you eat me?

**Fairness** Is this a fair and equitable decision or process?

The brain's amygdala regulates our responses, including our response to change. When feeling threatened, an "amygdala hijack" can occur, reducing our IQ by 10-15 points and causing us to do and say silly things.

**#3 When change is introduced there is a drop in productivity**

The valley of despair describes this dip in productivity when a change initiative is first launched. Surprisingly, even tiny changes cause drops in productivity. This is a hidden cost to the business and is often not measured.

Good change leadership will reduce the impact of this dip, but rarely irradicate it explained Lena.

**How change leadership has changed**

As Jen told the masterclass, once upon a time, leading change meant:

*   **A strong charismatic leader**
*   **A predictable outcome**
*   **Clarity on what was to change**
*   **1-2 big changes every 3 years**
*   **A cadence of unfreeze change- refreeze**
*   **A compliant workforce who wanted job security**

Now, leading change means:

*   **Diverse approaches to leadership**
*   **Significant uncertainty**
*   **Ambiguous options and potential**
*   **A firehose of change concurrently**
*   **Adopting agile approaches to change**
*   **5 generations in the workforce with high expectations and agency**

As a result, change leaders and their teams need to think, work, learn, and lead differently.

Jen also shared that change led poorly is the third highest cause of psycho-social hazards in the workplace. With the new regulations around managing psycho-social hazards at work in Australia, business leaders need to take notice.  

**Types of leadership best suited to change**

These days, leadership shifts include failing fast and getting feedback, agile approaches where done is better than perfect, leading with empathy and vulnerability, ensuring psychological safety, displaying curiosity, and improving at change communication.

Leadership styles best suited for a changing world according to Lena are:

**Adaptive Leadership**

Adaptive leadership is responsive over reactive. Relies on collaborative problem solving, not one expert. Comfortable with a framework for continuous change in times of uncertainty with no known solutions.

**Servant Leadership**

Puts service over the desire for status. This leader is a servant first and has a natural desire to put people first over their position or status. They demonstrate empathy and promote autonomy.

**Distributed Leadership**

Informal over formal leadership. Sees leadership as a shared practice, and an outcome of all interactions is more important than the leader's skill or knowledge. “This model is commonly seen in not-for-profit and shared-ownership organisations”, said Lena. 

**Leading change mindset**

“Change leadership requires a different mindset”, says Dr. Jen Frahm. It means leaving the comfort zone and talking about feelings and thoughts,  being okay to not be the expert all the time, producing something that is not quite perfect but celebrating the progress failing and learning and talking about it openly by making the time to reflect.  

Sharing a quote from Nance Guilmartin from The Power of Pause, “I’m not here to make you comfortable with change. I’m here to make you comfortable with discomfort”, Lena told us that “the storm is now the norm.”

In a nutshell, Lena Ross explained that agile change leadership is moving from engagement to empathy, from expert to beginner, from perfection to ‘done”, from failure avoidance to failure seeking, and from self-judgement to self-compassion.

**Conversation starter questions for your team discussion:**

1.  Jen talked about how all types of change ultimately impact people. What's an example you've seen where a small operational change had an unexpected impact on employee morale or engagement?
2.  The S.C.A.R.F. model describes different areas where employees may feel threatened by change. Which of those dimensions (status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, fairness) tends to be the most sensitive area for your employees when changes are introduced?
3.  The presentation mentioned a "valley of despair" and drop in productivity when changes are first launched. Have you observed this phenomenon and if so, what strategies have you used to minimise the productivity dip?
4.  Several leadership styles are listed as being well-suited for change - adaptive, servant, and distributed leadership. Which of those resonates most with your own approach? In what ways do you emulate that style?
5.  Lena talked about the mindset shift required of change leaders today. What mindsets or comfort zones have been the biggest personal challenges for you to move away from to lead change effectively? 

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3 truths about change leadership

Highlights from our Agile Change Leadership masterclass

Keep informed
Stay Inspired

3 truths about change leadership

Highlights from our Agile Change Leadership masterclass

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired