Anna Odumodu
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Change leadership is among the most difficult capabilities to find and nurture. But in the rapidly evolving landscape of the business world where change is perpetual and inevitable, it’s never been more critical.
Change is complex, and most often uncomfortable for people. Transformative change is the extreme of this. Change leadership recognizes human responses, embraces experimentation, and brings people into the process, working with them rather than on them. It’s become an invaluable capability – one that you cannot afford to neglect.
"Many organizations are experiencing change fatigue in their people - already exhausted by ‘transformation’ or ‘change management’ initiatives, with a need for more on the horizon. We need to focus on what we can do to make this process less stressful and confusing for our teams, because the need for agility isn’t going away.”
Why you should invest in change leadership
Change initiatives are complex and can often be disruptive, which is why change leaders are crucial for long-term success. It’s not just about managing transitions; it's about inspiring people (winning hearts and minds), fostering adaptability, and driving organizations towards a better future.
Change leaders focus on trust and transparency to provide clarity and direction. They work with their teams to ensure their involvement from start to finish, allowing them a sense of ownership and helping maintain motivation to combat change fatigue. With help and support, your change leaders will be perfectly placed to create a shared environment of innovation and empowerment that embraces change on a deeper level, resulting in a more resilient and efficient organization.
The role of a change leader
To support your change leaders, it’s important to understand and make clear to them what their responsibilities will be, and the capabilities, behaviors, and mindsets they need to perform their role effectively.
Goals, strategies and vision: the change leader helps define the direction the initiative should take – making plans, defining goals, and plotting milestones. They need to communicate these clearly to their teams so that everyone is on the same page and inspired to work together.
Understand the big picture: an effective change leader spends time studying their industry and stays up-to-date with the latest developments. They can see how their organization fits into the business landscape, and what is needed for long-term improvements.
Engagement and delegation: involving their teams in planning and decision-making from the beginning not only gives them access to a range of useful skills and insights, but encourages investment from their people. Delegation both helps inspire confidence in their team’s abilities, and shows trust and respect, leading to a feeling of ownership.
Support and celebration: change initiatives can be challenging for people. Change leaders need to understand this and treat their people with empathy, providing them with the tools and resources they need. Celebrating successes and milestones throughout the project is a great way for change leaders to boost morale and keep up positive momentum.
Accept feedback and adapt: change is a continuous process, and change leaders should not ignore ways that their part in it can be improved. Encouraging constructive criticism is vital for staying in touch with peoples’ needs, managing their expectations, and showing that their input is valued.
Communication is crucial for the change leader. Being able to show people what the initiative will look like and helping them understand their place in it will inspire a shared confidence in the journey.
There will be challenges along the way, so resilience and adaptability are essential. Encouraging innovation and creativity in problem-solving will help the team navigate these together.
Embracing change themselves and leading by example are vital to building a strong network built on trust and cooperation that, in turn, leads to a sustainable culture of agility, growth and resilience.
What can L&D leaders do?
L&D leaders play an important role in equipping change leaders with the capabilities they need to help guide their organization and their people through change.
There are several things that L&D leaders can do to facilitate this:
Identify potential change leaders or change champions: although some skills can be learned, not everyone is suitable for leading change initiatives but these people don’t have to be leaders in the hierarchical sense. They are influencers rather than managers. Whether through assessments, recommendations, or performance reviews, it’s important to find suitable candidates to take on this responsibility.
Development and mentoring: targeted and tailored learning experiences are one of the most effective ways to support and improve change leadership. This might be in the form of facilitated workshops and simulations, or perhaps coaching and mentoring. The best learning approaches are those you want to encourage these individuals to use themselves – i.e., learn in a way that they themselves will use with others. Arranging different learning opportunities can help build on people’s strengths, as well as focus on development areas.
Culture: encouraging a culture that embraces both learning and change will make it easier for change leaders to do their job. Try to instill a growth mindset in your organization that supports and rewards experimentation and innovation, and raise awareness of change initiatives and their importance.
Collaboration: sharing knowledge between departments helps people work together more efficiently, so organize collaboration opportunities between them to break down silos. It will also help you to directly understand the feelings and expectations of those from across the organization.
Ongoing support: change is often challenging, so change leaders will need your continued support. Offering continuous learning opportunities can support their development. It’s also worth making communities or peer networks to allow them to support and learn from one another.
Advocate and lead by example: commitment to change trickles down from the top. Your dedication to change initiatives will inspire your change leaders and, from there, their teams. Forging a group identity for change encourages buy-in at all levels, which in turn fosters a sense of ownership – when people feel like they are active participants, they are more likely to embrace change.
It’s important to monitor how initiatives are working out, and the performance of your change leaders. Data and feedback can not only demonstrate the impact of your change leadership interventions, but also show you where and how things might need to be modified for your people to be efficient, effective, and confident when leading change.
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Anna Odumodu
Vice President Custom Solutions at Hult Ashridge Executive Education
As Head of Custom Solutions at Hult Ashridge, Anna brings over two decades of expertise in creating custom learning and development solutions that drive change and sustainable growth for organizations. Passionate about understanding and meeting client needs, her current focus is on measuring the impact of learning interventions. Drawing on 10 years as a civil engineer managing multi-million pound projects, Anna brings this rigor and structure to her L&D work. She holds an Executive MBA with Distinction from Bayes Business School.
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