Cascading Information on Organizational Change
What do you get when you cross “leadership presence” and “leading change”, two hot topics in leadership development today? As executive coaches, we sometimes see the two leadership skills come together seamlessly, but more often than not, we see the “cascade collide”! Think back to the last time you had to cascade an organizational decision, policy change or reorganization. What did you do? Let’s take a quick quiz. Did you:
- Go passive – saying to yourself inside your head, “If I stay quiet and passive during this, then maybe my team will know that I’m not really behind this. I don’t want to potentially say something out of turn relative to my peers or I’ll let others do the dirty work.”
- Absolve responsibility – saying to a direct report, “”I agree. This is such a bad situation. We have no say in these things anyway. I completely think this stinks too.”
- Use brute force — saying to your team, “Stop whining and just do it.”
- Own and lead the change cascading effectively, “There’s no doubt the current environment is challenging. Here are the reasons I believe this is important. Here’s what I see ahead for us. I encourage all of us to stay open and in dialogue around how we can move forward together.”
If you answered d, then don’t waste your time and stop reading now! If you answered a-c (or if you have a direct report who might be having trouble), then keep reading on. There are three key steps below that could increase your overall leadership presence and your change results.
Step 1: Drive Alignment. Too often, the meetings to plan for cascading don’t take place or are not effectively handled. Leaders spend so much time on the decision that they run out of steam when it comes time to work on how to communicate the decision. Who are the key stakeholders involved here? Senior leadership, another set of peers in a different function, certain direct reports you need to coach ahead of time? Get in front of it and make sure all know what the decision is about and are aligned around the “Why” before they cascade. Or if you realize you are lacking information from those above to effectively cascade, seek what information you need. But, what if the problem is you? You personally don’t believe? Put on your organizational hat and spend time connecting the decision to the mission or corporate ambition – this isn’t about your voicing your personal views, rather what connects to the business’ ultimate purpose. You can’t help others do that, until you’ve done that work first for yourself.
Step 2: Craft the Message. Leaders often fall short by communicating only “what” the decision is. Others are uncomfortable to cascade because they believe they have to be a disingenuous cheerleader. Craft three key parts of the message beyond the “what”.
Don’t sugar coat the reality of the situation. When you are asking people to embrace something new and different, there is nothing worse than the “pollyana” who doesn’t acknowledge the challenge. Stick to the facts versus moaning along or shoving it under the rug. Acknowledge the era which has passed, the good job achieved, and the realities of the new situation.
Focus on the “Why”. Be sure your organization understands why this decision is the best one for the organization (and, yes for the organization – not necessarily for you, your team, or others you know). If you’re short on time to prep, double down on your effort here.
Paint the Way Forward. Grab the leadership moment and paint the picture for what’s ahead. Keep the dialogue open to help folks end, explore, and take hold of a new way. As JFK once said, “Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
Step 3: Motivate and Inspire. As those around you experience high beta and change, be the anchoring force. Stay on message and be consistent, across all forums — from what you share at the all hands meetings and even more important what’s shared in those 5 minute informal conversations in the hallway. Remember you’ve had a lot more time to digest the decisions made and people deeper in the organization will be at a different starting point. Create check-in points or meetings which allow open dialogue to continue and give you ample opportunities to hear what people’s experiences are, answer questions about the realities of the situation, the “why”, and the way forward.
Do you have an organizational change or message you need to cascade soon? How are you going to get in front of it this time?
– Amy Jen Su