Leaders are humans first
Change Management Review
Original link: https://changemanagementreview.com/leaders-are-humans-first-leaders-second-with-edwina-pike/
Recorded: May 2024
Key concepts:
Leadership as the Primary Driver of Change: Edwina underscores the importance of leadership in effectuating organizational behavior change. The tribal nature of organizations and the innate desire to please authority figures significantly impact how changes are implemented and received.
The Crisis in Leadership Development: There is a profound gap in formal leadership training outside military contexts, which often results in leaders learning from previous projects and “on the go” rather than structured education. This lack of foundational learning leads to inadequacies in handling change effectively.
Humanizing Leaders: Leaders are human, they are not infallible or devoid of emotions. Recognizing leaders as human first helps in understanding their limitations and strengths in driving change.
Brain Hacks for Leaders: Gain practical strategies, or ‘brain hacks,’ to empower leaders.
Empowering Leaders Through Authenticity: Encouraging leaders to articulate their genuine thoughts and feelings about changes ensures that their public declarations align with their private convictions, fostering trust and clarity within their teams.
Creating a Conducive Environment for Change: Preparing the project team — the first line of change agents — to support and facilitate effective leadership is a necessity for success
Things that may surprise you
The counter-intuitive, or deep insights that are rarely spoken about.
The Low Development for Middle Managers: Middle managers, who play critical roles in organizations, often receive the least development in terms of leadership training, even though they are the people who interact with and directly manage most of the workforce.
Leaders’ Decreasing Emotional Intelligence: Research shows that leaders' emotional intelligence decreases as they rise higher in the organizational hierarchy. Higher levels of emotional intelligence are typically associated with better leadership effectiveness.
Brain Hacks for Leadership Engagement: Strategically using of "brain hacks" and behavioral science to engage leaders more effectively in change initiatives is a game changer. Use psychological principles to enhance leaders' commitment and active participation in change processes.
Inside the Box
Recognize leaders as humans first, humans who need support and development to lead effectively. Treat leaders as critical partners in change. Be honest in your communication and coach your leaders for successful transformational change.
Leadership as a Driver of Change: Leadership remains the primary driver of organizational behavioral change due to the tribal nature of organizations and the influence leaders have over team safety and morale.
The Human Aspect of Leaders: Leaders are discussed as humans first, who naturally seek to inspire and lead effectively, though often they lack the necessary skills and training, especially if they haven't had formal leadership education.
Leadership Challenges: The conversation highlights the crisis in leadership development, where leaders often don't receive adequate training and are expected to learn from their experiences or from others around them, perpetuating inadequate leadership practices.
Improve Leadership Effectiveness: Ensure leaders are prepared and fully supportive of changes before they lead them. Use "brain hacks" and behavioral science techniques to enhance leaders' ability to drive change effectively. Create authentic communications that reflect leaders' true convictions and thoughts, rather than scripted messages. The killer of authenticity is Corporate Communications
Set up for success: it's crucial to approach interactions with leaders as if you are equals, rather than subordinates. This is not about disregarding respect or hierarchy but about creating a partnership atmosphere where expertise and insights are valued from both sides. If you position yourself as just a helper or a service provider, leaders might adopt a more commanding role, which can stifle open dialogue and collaboration necessary for successful change.
Make Effective Change: Engage leaders early in the change process to ensure they are fully committed and understand their role in driving change. Use storytelling and personal engagement to create leaders as active participants in change initiatives. Help leaders create their narratives around change to ensure genuine communication and engagement.
Make it Actionable
Understand the complexities of leadership within the context of organizational change and use these actionable insights to enhance leadership effectiveness in driving change.
Leadership as the Primary Driver of Change: Recognize and leverage the role of leadership in organizational behavior change. Leaders control team dynamics and safety, making their engagement essential for successful change.
Addressing the Leadership Crisis: Rethink how leaders are trained. Many leaders lack formal education in leadership, relying instead on learning from their surroundings or past experiences, which may not always be effective.
Early Engagement and Preparation of Leaders: Engage leaders early in the change process to ensure they are fully committed and understand the importance of their role. This helps prevent leaders from adopting a passive approach to change.
Tactics and Brain Hacks:
Setting Expectations with Leaders: Use the phrase "I am here for your success and not your comfort" early in your interactions with leaders. This sets the tone for honest and potentially uncomfortable conversations necessary for growth and change.
Authentic Communication: Encourage leaders to develop their narratives related to the change. This involves helping them create authentic content that reflects their true thoughts and convictions rather than providing them with pre-scripted messages.
Creating Ownership and Engagement: Implement techniques that require leaders to actively participate in the change process, such as recording videos or podcasts discussing the change. This helps leaders internalize the change and convey genuine commitment to their teams.
Specific Brain Hacks for Engaging Leaders:
Prime the Relationship: Early in your interactions with leaders, use phrases like "I am here for your success, not your comfort." This helps set the expectation that your role is to support their success in a straightforward manner, which may include challenging conversations or decisions.
Establish Mutual Respect: Approach leaders with the confidence of your professional expertise, yet without being arrogant. Convey your views and suggestions clearly and assertively to establish an ‘equal’ or peer-to-peer relationship avoiding a superior-subordinate dynamic.
Communicate as Partners: When discussing projects or changes, frame the conversation in terms of collaboration. When talking about objectives or challenges, use language to create ownership and to reinforce the idea that you are working together towards a common goal. Simple word swaps like using ‘our’ instead of ‘the’ to create ownership.
Encourage Equitable Interaction: Encourage leaders to engage in the conversation by asking for their input and showing genuine interest in their perspectives. This approach not only values their contributions but also reinforces the partnership model.
Maintain Professional Integrity: Stick to your professional principles and the agreed-upon facts and strategies. This demonstrates your reliability and commitment to the project’s success, reinforcing your role as an equal in the relationship.
Cognitive Commitment: By setting the right expectations at the beginning (e.g., success over comfort), you prime leaders for the type of engagement you expect from them. This cognitive commitment can be called upon later to reinforce their responsibilities during tougher parts of the change process.
Visibility and Accountability: Having leaders publicly commit to the change through visible mediums like video or audio increases their accountability. It compels them to align their public statements with their actions, thereby reducing cognitive dissonance and enhancing integrity in leadership.
Neuroscience of Change: Use questions that prompt leaders to think deeply about the change, such as its importance, the impact on their team, and what remains unchanged. These questions help leaders construct a personal narrative around the change, enhancing their emotional connection and commitment to the initiative.
These insights and tactics empower change agent to create more effective leadership and drive successful organizational change.
By using BeSci to addressing the human elements of leadership you are better equipped to lead change authentically and effectively.
