Hi, and welcome back to my YouTube channel.
I'm Anne Koopmann, a leadership coach, facilitator lecturer, speaker,
and the host of the Lead Like YOU!
Podcast.
I empower emerging leaders to become courageous leaders and lead
with authenticity, vulnerability, strength, and emotional intelligence.
In today's episode, we're going to talk about how we can lead
through uncertainty and change.
And I'm going to share four tips, on how you can do that and support
your team whenever it gets difficult.
When we think about leading a team through change and uncertainty,
it's really important that we acknowledge that as leaders, we
also might be going through the same challenges that our team members are.
We might feel unsure, stressed a little bit scared of the change.
And also we might not know what to do or what to say.
And that is okay.
The thing is you don't need to have all the answers.
Your team needs clear direction forward and clear communication.
You need to be able to make a decision, even though you
might not have all the answers.
But it is okay, if afterwards you change your mind and you realize that
a different way, was the better way.
Just share with your team and communicate openly why you're making this change now.
You can only make the best decisions with what you know, at that time.
So, be gentle and kind to yourself when you lead through uncertainty and change.
And another important aspect is your own self management and how
you can motivate yourself when you go through uncertainty and change.
Make sure that you have your strategies in place to control your emotions,
and also motivate yourself and have a resilience support kit that helps you
to get back up when things get tough.
And then you can lead your team effectively through the change.
Gallup has defined four key components, when we want to lead our teams
effectively through uncertainty.
And these components are trust, compassion, stability, and hope.
Now let's talk through each component and I'll explain you a little bit
about what it means and what you can do to provide that to your team.
When it comes to change and uncertainty, it's really important
that your team can trust you.
They need to know the real you, so be authentic.
Don't be afraid to be a bit vulnerable.
It's okay for you to also show when you're not sure sometimes.
It's okay to say, I don't know yet, but we will figure this out.
The key here though, is that you do manage your emotions.
So you don't drag your team down.
If they see you're panicking, they will panic themselves.
So make sure that you manage your emotions when they can't see you so
that when you then approach them, you can be the confident self.
Of course you can mention that you also had moments where you
weren't quite sure, but share your strategies of how you overcame this
and how you managed your emotions.
That way you can use real stories from yourself to help them see how they
can use these tactics for themselves.
Make sure that you don't wear a mask because trying to fake it, or wearing
a mask - they will see through it over time and they won't trust you.
Make sure you deliver on what you said you would and make sure you
communicate clearly on a regular basis.
The second component is compassion and this is really important and this
is where empathy comes into play.
Keep in mind that driving people through change often means that they have to give
up something that they truly care about.
Either it is they have to give up what they used to know and what the
feel comfortable with, or they have to give up their view and their opinion
on what they think is actually best.
So make sure that you allow them to process through these
emotions, be there and listen.
You don't always need to fix them or find a solution.
But just showing that you're listening, that you care is really key.
Going through emotions, when we're going through change and uncertainty is normal.
So make sure that you allow your team to process these
emotions and coach them through.
The third component is stability.
And it's so important that when we go through uncertainty and change that we
have some stable component in our lives.
And you, as that leader can play this very important role.
Make sure that you are available on a regular basis.
Have a meeting schedule in place, have regular one-on-one and team
meetings, ideally weekly, make sure that they know when they get to see you.
Keep a rhythm up of how you follow up on tasks, how you proceed and
what are your standard procedures.
Having this rhythm will provide a feeling of safety.
And that feeling of safety will carry them through.
It will keep them going and motivate them and make them feel safe to go with you
and go through the change and take a risk And lastly, the fourth component is hope.
When we go through change or uncertainty and even if we don't quite know how things
are going to end, we need to provide some inspiration and the path forward.
Show your team, your vision, inspire them, share what you're working towards
to show them that there is a step forward.
Show them what's in it for them.
Find ways to motivate them.
What is going to be the great outcomes of this change?
What is the good that we can see?
Share positive feedback, share positive points and outcomes.
Celebrate the success of the team along the way.
Make sure that you provide positive interactions.
So these are the four components that Gallup has defined to guide our
teams through uncertainty and change.
They were trust, compassion, stability, and hope.
Keep in mind that as humans, we are very resilient and adaptable.
We are able to adapt to the change and adapt ourselves to the new norm.
Not everybody will get through the change successfully, but most people will.
You can see it now with COVID-19 in 2020, we all suddenly had to work
from home remotely, and a lot of things changed, but we adapted to it.
Somehow we made it work.
So humans can do change.
So keep that in mind, but make sure that you play the real
important role as a leader, by guiding them through the change.
It takes a great leader to build a great team and to
guide them through uncertainty.
Use your compassion and empathy, and build real relationships and be there for them.
Now it's not the time to hide.
You have to be visible.
You have to be approachable and allow them to contact you and let them know
when and how they get to see you.
I hope you found these tips helpful.
Let me know what resonated the most in the comments below and make sure that you give
me a thumbs up and subscribe to the video.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
And I see you in the next episode.