April begins the change to a new quarter and a new season with spring just around the corner. More change. Always change. In fact, the previous emails I’ve sent about helping your team (and yourself) through change fatigue received such a large number of clicks, I’ve decided to add to the topic this month.
In case you missed the conversation about change fatigue and what it really takes to manage yourself and lead well through constant uncertainty, here are 5 takeaways:
Acknowledge that change fatigue is real — and so is yours
Process your own reaction before rallying the troops
Ask yourself hard questions like are you personally aligned with the new reality?
Be transparent, and give your team something tangible regarding what to expect
Model the pace you want your team to keep
☎ Book a 20-minute Discovery Call and I’ll help you determine how ready you are, personally, to lead yet another change.
These days, however, even the best coaching around change is much easier to “provide than apply”. Research firm Gartner has found that leading through change today is more difficult than ever because of the convergence of these 4 factors:
- 📚 Changes are happening in volume, AND they are stacked on top of each other;
- 🚀 Changes are happening faster, AND they are continuous without any start or end;
- 🔃 Changes are larger in scale, AND they have multiple interdependencies;
Changes are externally driven, AND impact is coming from politics, economic uncertainty, society trends, technology, and more.
This creates ‘ungovernable change’, and Gartner suggests the only way to lead through it is to routinize it. This means treating change as an everyday business process and equipping employees with the skills to embrace ongoing change. They recommend leaders engage in these 3 strategies:
- 👣 Communicate that change is a journey, not a destination. Rather than inspiring employees with an aspirational end-state, create urgency by highlighting the risks of not changing at all and framing consistent small wins as the true measure of success.
- 🤗 Enable change-ready employees, not change enthusiasm. Instead of generating excitement around individual change events, help employees repeatedly practice change skills (like emotional regulation, effective time management, and openness to new experiences) until they become second nature. This keeps them ready to embrace any change at any time.
Foresee multiple possible scenarios, not just the current change. To routinize change, go beyond personal scenario planning by actively empowering employees to analyze and prepare for how likely future scenarios could impact the team.
There’s a lot more to say about ungovernable change and the 4 factors creating it. There’s even more to share about the 3 strategies for routinizing it, but I’ll save those for next time.
The Self-Aware Leader 1:1 Executive Coaching Accelerator is designed to help build the kind of leader who doesn’t just survive constant change but routineizes it, models it, and brings their team along for the journey.
Today’s takeaway is this: ungovernable change isn’t going away — and neither is the pressure to lead through it with confidence and clarity. Building a routine to offset the fatigue is one innovative way to govern the ungovernable.
Here’s to bringing your best self forward,
Loretta