In our three-part series about the art of communicating change, we have already looked at the roles and expectations of the change team and employees. Here, we focus on the leadership team and the art of leadership communication.
Leaders traditionally set the tone – inspiring and guiding the organisation and employees to make strategic decisions, growth, revenue, and the transformation that lies ahead. They are most likely to be the people who are making the decision to have an op model change and what those changes will actually entail for the “better” of the organisation. Leaders are the “face of change” and must regularly update and communicate with the workforce in the run-up to and during the transformation. The end-to-end journey can be emotionally and psychologically exhausting for them.
Here, we have listed three effective communication tools that we hope will help leaders communicate better, help employees buy into the vision and contribute in a positive way to the process, and enable the change team to better understand the business, its culture, and the intended direction of travel.
The greatest leaders know how to tell a story – it helps to win hearts and minds and enables leaders to navigate and influence how the audience thinks and feels about the op model changes that are to come. By making your story vivid and inspirational, it will become a shared vision that will guide and position all those impacted by the operating model change. As a leader, if you can turn a complex story, journey, or vision into something that is simple and relatable, you will engage your workforce.
Authentic and visible leaders who model the business’s values and mission help to connect a workforce to the vision and change that lies ahead. When a leader reads an announcement from a script with little engagement, eye contact, or connection with the audience, the announcement will feel artificial. Communicating with authenticity is not only about the words you use, it is also about your body language and making eye contact, even if the interaction is virtual. Use your own voice and let people know who you are and what you stand for. Your communication style should display your values.
Being authentic also means being accessible. If you are present and available as a leader, people will feel connected to your communication and to the work you want them to do.
Listening is a hidden power. We often think that leaders do all the talking and doing, but that’s not always true. When leaders actively listen and gather knowledge from a wider audience, it allows far greater and more impactful communication. It helps to build trust, loyalty, and respect and ultimately aligns what you hear “on the ground” with the key big-picture decisions that need to be made. This can then enable earlier buy-in from employees, a greater ability to build psychological safety and reap the benefits of that op model change that was originally set out. Listening is a communication tool that should not be underestimated. A good leader can read things into what is unsaid as well as obvious factual statements.
The most effective way to communicate throughout an operating model change will constantly evolve and this can be exhausting for leaders.
When leaders communicate badly, high-stress situations can arise and the organisation and its employees may fail to fulfil targets and goals. This can lead to low staff morale and mismanaged conflict. Leaders may not communicate enough due to a fear of oversharing or sharing the wrong information – this is quite common in traditional, hierarchical organisations. Misaligned communication can derail a roadmap, leading to confusion and a blurred strategy. But when communication is done well tailored to the needs of the employees and the phase of the op model changes, a workforce is aligned with the vision, enabling people to pull in the same direction. Communication is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.
If you need help with people and change management, please contact us and we may be able to help.