Over the last six months I’ve been coaching managers who are implementing change. While the change and the organisations vary there has been a running theme regarding difficulties of managing change. I thought I would share a couple of observations as they may be useful for others especially in the current COVID-19 world:
1. Change is tough on organisations and staff – it is important to spend a significant time planning and delivering communications to support staff - one email to all staff just won’t cut it! The time spent on this is often a lot more time than managers consider at the start of a change programme but it is much better to be proactive on communications than reactive.
2. Change is also tough on leaders of change – leaders of change are often surprised how tough delivering the change can be on themselves. This is normal, be kind to yourself and recognise you are also impacted by the change and that it can be draining to be the person constantly positive about the change, supporting others and absorbing negative feedback.