Page 9 - February 7, 2021 KarmaLead Competencies

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Leading Change

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence – it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”
– Peter Drucker, the father of the modern corporation

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”
– Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

Today there is tremendous demand for change in individuals, in organizations, and society. Which
means that there is a tremendous demand for quality change leadership. Change comes in many forms.
First is incremental or developmental change, which is just getting better at what we already do. Second
is transitional change, which moves the organization from a current state, to a new different future
state. Third is transformational change, where the fundamental assumptions of our business model are
being questioned and are shifting. Transformational change is the most challenging type of change
because people are required to change their mindset. Leaders today are being called upon to lead more
and more transformational change and guide their people and organization into their new realities.

Key skills to Lead Change

LEAD ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Organizations continue to improve their services, business processes and technologies, which means
change. Without leadership, planned organizational change will never be realized. Skilled leaders
are able to deal with the complexity and ambiguity of organizational change. They leverage change
methodologies to guide the change process. They clearly define and communicate the drivers for
change, establish a clear vision of the new state and make strategic decisions to ensure the change
moves forward and achieves the desired results. A key leadership role is to clearly communicate
and stress the importance of congruence between organization environment and outcomes of the
desired change.

PREPARE EFFECTIVE CHANGE PLANS
Nothing helps move things along better than a good plan. And a clear marker of a good plan is one
that is aligned with strategic priorities. Plans lay a foundation. Aligned plans enable you, your team,
and the entire organization to move in the right direction. Excellent plans are particularly important
given the rapid change and uncertainty that our organizations, individuals, and society is facing
today. Skilled leaders set objectives to align with broader organizational goals and to break down
those objectives into appropriate initiatives and actions. The change initiative has staged activities
with relevant milestones and schedules. Risks are anticipated and preventative or contingency plans
are in place.