4 Ways a Leader can Make the Jump while Minimizing the Splash

As leaders who aggressively lead our own lives, transition is inevitable.

We constantly assess our environment, relationships, progress and future opportunities.
Though we may not love change, we highly value personal achievement, advancement, and collective, corporate progress.

Over the years, I have made a number of changes–some big, some small, some incorrectly, and some done well. By far the toughest part has been navigating relationships. All-in-all, I’ve learned good lessons. To transition yourself and your team well remember these four things:

• 1. Be understanding. Offer comfort, grace. While you may see clearly where you are going, your followers likely will not, and therefore they may be afraid.
  2. Be clear. Don’t mislead on how the relationships will be affected. Some trips the leader will take alone, or with a subgroup, or the whole group.
  3. Be committed. Be resistant to resistance. Not everyone will agree with your decision. Change anyway…stay the course. If need be, double-check with your wise counsel. Nonetheless, do not allow your response to fear or to discomfort keep you out of your destiny.
  4. Be on-time.Timing is everything. The day you gain awareness that you need to change is not necessarily the appropriate day for you to make “the BIG announcement”. For me, my day of “awareness” is often my signal to share with my inner circle, and to drop “seeds for change” without attaching the drama that often accompanies “shocking” news. John C. Maxwell teaches in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, the Law of Timing:
     1. The right action at the wrong time brings resistance.
     2. The right action at the right time results in success.

What is your approach to transition? What have you found to work? Or even not to work? 🙂