By: Laila Jerman

Surfing the waves of change in disruptive times.

Disruptive times require resilience and change responsive mindsets and skillsets.  In businesses, this is reflected in leaders and leadership styles within the organisation as they carry the responsibility of influencing their teams and setting the organisation up for success.

I have been investing quite some time exploring change, the psychology of change and the mindsets of those involved in the cycle of change.  I realised how sometimes certain attitudes and mindsets can be contagious and I believe that is what distinguishes a phenomenal leader from a “titled” leader.  The way I see it, having a change resilient mindset and a hunger for growth, improvement and making a difference are key ingredients to  initiate and plant the seed of transformational change.  Now imagine how coupling those innate capabilities (for some) with the understanding of certain fundamentals that are essential for change management such as but not exclusive to effective communication, agility, transformational leadership and clear goals will help the organisation to audaciously navigate the uncertainty of change.  Having a clear vision guided by values and the ability to communicate those with your mastermind team will create an unstoppable force. 

To successfully lead change, a leader must possess certain skillsets. As I mentioned earlier, certain attributes are innate, nonetheless, those can most certainly be acquired by comprehending and applying certain fundamentals of leading teams and organisations.  The term leading organisations refers to the study of how to effectively manage and lead organisations through the examination as well as the application of various theories, models and practices that best fit the goals, values and aspirations of the organisation, and those draw from a combination of different disciplines; psychology, sociology, management and more. 

Understanding the psychology of change and being able to effectively communicate change (I like to call it the art of communicating change) are key skills to leading organisations and change management. 

Let’s elaborate, leaders need to be able to clearly communicate the reasons for change, the benefits of the change, and the expected outcomes while paying attention to the collection of different mindsets and perceptions of those involved in the process.  They must also be able to create a vision that is inspiring and felt in the bones of those involved. Not to forget leading by example and demonstrating their commitment to the change and embodying the behaviours and values that they want to see in the organisation.  What’s more, leaders should also be able to listen and respond to feedback and concerns, in order to address any issues that may arise during the change process.

Leading organisations and driving change requires a combination of technical and people skills, as well as the ability to navigate resistance to change. Here, I have only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to leading change and will continue to share my thoughts on the topic in upcoming days!

Thank you for reading

#justathought