The secret to being a good leader of change

In a fast-paced and unstable environment, every leader is now a leader of change. The days when leaders could act in isolation, focusing on the day-to-day without considering the rapid pace of change, are long gone. Whether you’re the head of a Fortune 500 company, a mid-level executive, or an emerging entrepreneur, your role as a catalyst for change is more important than ever. But what is the secret of a great leader of change? Here are some essential skills and strategies that the most successful change leaders use to guide their organizations through turbulent times.

Article by Sherzod Odilov for Forbes US – translated by Flora Lucas

A broader vision

A great change leader is a visionary. He has the amazing ability to spot emerging opportunities, to imagine what could be. They are dreamers who live in the world of tomorrow knowing how to align the vision with the company’s current strengths and capabilities. This foresight is not just about painting a pretty picture, but about showing a clear and honest path to the future, about rallying the troops to march towards a shared and, often, bold vision.

Interestingly, an analysis of Korn Ferry involving 150,000 executives reveals that only 15% of business leaders worldwide fit this profile, possessing a strong future orientation and ability to change, highlighting the rarity of such visionary leadership in driving business transformation.

Emotional intelligence at the center of the process

It’s nothing new that successful leaders have emotional intelligence. Indeed, joint research by TalentSmart and Adam Grant show that emotional intelligence is the most significant indicator of performance in the workplace. However, what does emotional intelligence look like in the context of change management? Simply put, it involves the ability to recognize, understand and manage one’s emotions, interacting effectively with others in the uncertainty that change often entails.

Change is inherently emotional: it disrupts comfort zones and sets the unknown in motion. THE research indicate that the experience of change in the workplace may even resemble the emotional upheaval associated with bereavement. The most effective change leaders are able to be aware of their surroundings, anticipate emotional reactions, and provide support, in order to make change a positive and uplifting experience. This not only strengthens relationships and builds trust, but also creates a sense of psychological safety for employees to face the unknown.

Resilience and ingenuity

Change is rarely an incontrovertible and regular event. Very often it is accompanied by obstacles and resistance. Consequently, according to l CEB Business Leadership Councilonly a third of significant change initiatives achieve their objectives.

This is where the resilience and ingenuity of the change leader shines through. The most effective change leaders are the first to weather the storm, finding alternative paths when the most obvious paths become blocked. They exude the confidence that comes from a deep understanding of the purpose of change and can communicate that purpose so effectively that it becomes a rallying cry, transforming apathy into action. They also understand that change is a process, not an event, and they never lose sight of the end goal.

Give power to give power

Second GartnerAlthough 74% of managers say they involve employees in developing change strategies, only 42% believe they have actually been involved in this process. This gap is often explained by leaders’ fear of being inundated with opinions when faced with tight deadlines or having to adjust their plans based on employee feedback.

In reality, big change leaders don’t cling to power, they distribute it. They understand that power is a multiplier of influence. By giving authority and responsibility to your teams, you foster an environment where every individual feels part of it. This responsibility promotes leadership at all levels, ensuring that the organization is not only ready for change, but also actively participating in its implementation.

The main communicator

The cornerstone of any successful change management initiative is strategic communication. From the Education show that 38% of employees report receiving an “excessive” volume of communications within their organization, resulting in disengagement and poor decision-making.

Effective change leaders understand this challenge. They are excellent communicators who know that the key is not in an increasingly effective approach, but rather in intelligent communication. They excel at providing clear, consistent and contextual messages, navigating effortlessly between meeting rooms and workshops, between town hall meetings and one-on-one conversations. Recognizing the power of storytelling, they use it not as a tool of distortion, but as a way to create emotional connections and shared understanding, ensuring their communications strategy counteracts information overload and sparks true engagement.

A pragmatic strategy

At the heart of every change, the leader’s legacy is a dual feat: visionary thinking combined with the art of effective communication, underpinned by the critical ability to strategize and execute with precision. However, this balance eludes many. Two thirds to three quarters Large organizations struggle with effective strategy execution, a challenge that is also present in the execution of change management strategies.

The best change leaders are not just strategic thinkers, but also tactical thinkers who break down the vision into actionable steps, leveraging the collective power of their teams to meet or exceed those goals. Their world is made of SMART goals, followed by action plans with clear accountability, monitoring and reward mechanisms. They continually review and recalibrate, never losing sight of the end goal.

Change management is both an art and a science. It requires vision, emotional intelligence, resilience, ingenuity, and the ability to empower and communicate effectively while implementing actionable strategies. This is a complex and demanding role, but if done well it can pave the way for success in any organization.

Read also: Leadership success depends more on mindset than on the size of the company