Preparing Yourself and Your Team for Change in 2025
Mary Ellen Brennan, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, ACC
Career & Executive Coach | HR Consultant | Empowering Professionals to Find Their Dream Job | Guiding Professionals
When I ask leaders what their biggest concerns or pain points are, managing change tops the list. The accelerating pace of change makes the ability to manage and lead change through uncertainty a necessary skill.
Your Readiness
The first step in preparing for change is to reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses and create a plan to build any necessary skills. Begin a self-assessment including soft skills that are integral to successful change management, such as:
- Adaptability
- Stress management
- Decision-making
An assessment of your emotional intelligence (EQ), especially self-awareness and the ability to regulate emotions, can provide valuable insights.
Next, ask yourself what your beliefs about change are and how those might be limiting beliefs that would affect your leadership.
Finally, assess your proficiency in critical leadership competencies like:
- Strategic thinking
- Creating and articulating a compelling vision
- Change management
Change management has become a foundational leadership competency. While change management is a specialized discipline, leaders can benefit from understanding the basics of frameworks like Kotter’s 8-Step Model, Lewin’s Change Model, the McKinsey 7-S Model, or the ADKAR model. Tailor or “right size” these models to your organization and its change initiatives.
Once you’ve completed your self-assessment, create a personal development plan to build the skills needed in the coming year.
Team Readiness
Equipping your team for change is the next step. Begin by evaluating their collective and individual readiness.
- Do they trust you as a leader?
- Are their relationships with each other collaborative?
- Have you communicated your vision in a way that inspires emotional engagement?
A well-defined communication plan is key to the success of change initiatives. Create a plan that supports your change initiatives with consistent, repetitive messaging that:
- Builds the case for change and its urgency;
- Keeps the topic of change front and center in everyone’s minds;
- Assures your team that you are triaging opportunities for change and acting as a buffer when necessary;
- Includes opportunities for regular feedback and dialogue.
Put your communication plan into writing and include a timeline to ensure the consistent delivery of key messages. In my experience, many change initiatives fail because of the lack of a detailed and well-executed communications plan.
At the individual level, identify team members who may need extra support. Develop plans for training, mentoring, and coaching to help them increase their ability to navigate change.
Moving Forward
The ability to lead change successfully in 2025 is a necessity. By preparing yourself and your team with the skills and mindset to cope with change, you will prepare your organization to implement change initiatives successfully. As you reflect on positioning yourself for 2025, what is one step you can take this week to strengthen your readiness for change?
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Want help with developing your change management leadership skills? Schedule a complimentary chat with me, and let’s map out your path to success.
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