Leaders will remember the 2020s as distinct for many reasons, most of all for the unprecedented number of changes. Consultants and journalists rushed to their keyboards to make it all make sense. What should learning leaders do with this information?
This article will help you cut through the noise — providing best practices for developing leaders who can navigate the current landscape of change and futureproof their organization when more changes come their way.
To summarize the biggest changes of the past few years — many would reference a competition of interests between employees and employers. These included The Great Resignation and quiet quitting. These trends gained traction as employees took control of their well-being, prompting various responses from organizations. Some retaliated with “quiet hiring,” which likely exacerbated the issue of employee well-being that set everything into motion. Others leaned into employees’ justified requests by strengthening the support they offer.
In the face of change, leaders must strike a balance between motivating their employees and coping with ongoing changes. This article will delve into best practices for pursuing that balance.
To develop more impactful leaders, consider teaching the following best practices in your leadership training programs:
1. Be a model leader.
Change can’t be stopped, but it’s important for organizations to build a buffer against it. It’s easy to focus on what pushes employees out of organizations — and these issues deserve respect and attention — but it’s also important to pay attention to what initially attracts them — and makes them stay.
For example, many organizations have been turned on to the value of delivering on employees’ expectations as they relate to corporate purpose and meaningful work. This doesn’t stop with a mission statement or philanthropy — leaders must deliver on purpose at every level of the organization so it’s accessible to all employees. Employees achieving purposeful and meaningful outcomes at work helps them stay grounded, even in times of uncertainty.
Leaders have a unique and impactful way they can pursue purpose in their role: by empowering diverse employees. Fortunately, to better navigate recent employment trends, there’s been a push to understand and embrace the power of diversity. Diverse teams have unique advantages in coming up with innovation solutions and confronting change.
Leaders’ best route to empowering a diverse workforce is to show concern for employees’ individuality and to authentically share aspects of themselves, which will likely encourage their team to do the same. Leaders must also pay attention to aspects of their team that could fluctuate during change, like motivation and goal orientation. Leaders have the power to set the tone for their team, helping team members position themselves realistically and productively in times of change.
Leaders who model good communication can inspire employees to share information that helps organizations discover and address the gaps making employees worry about the future of their work — like having access to training that will generate in-demand skills and industry experience.
2. Strive to understand the organization’s current (and potential) talent.
Ideally, leaders can directly interface with employees to understand their needs. However, this might not always be feasible, like when recruiting new talent or making sense of the results from an organization-wide employee survey. Articles and other data can be invaluable in these cases, if considered carefully. Leaders might need to dig into the context of what they’re reading or double-check “common sense knowledge.”
For example, leaders need to go beyond headline findings. An overall statistic (like only 32% of employees being engaged) can put things in perspective but might obscure different rates based on employee characteristics — and reasons for those rates.
When leaders set out to address gaps, they might be surprised about employees’ reactions. Meeting employees’ expectations might seem unfeasible amid requests for things such as greater flexibility and a shorter work week — but a little bit of creativity goes a long way (e.g., with unique work schedules). Of course, bringing such changes full circle would require leaders talking directly to employees to understand if their needs are being met.
Although it’s a big task, organizations can’t focus solely on current employees. They must also pay attention to recruitable talent. A new generation is becoming employable for the first time — and many members of Gen Z have unique perspectives on training and employment. This might entail diversity on a philosophical level — in terms of what constitutes a qualified candidate. Leaders will not only need to listen to employees on an individual level — they might need to anticipate changes in how they coordinate their teams. As mentioned before, they might find it impactful to lean into the positive influence they can have on their team by modeling a respect for diversity.
3. Actively communicate why the change is being made.
Employees, just like organizations, have experienced major changes. Everyone’s feeling change fatigue. This can be ameliorated by communicating that changes are being implemented with purpose. Employees want to know that organizational changes account for their best interests, or, at the very least, that the changes are fair.
One top-of-mind change that’s affecting employees is the proliferation of workplace-compatible artificial intelligence (AI) technology. AI offers exciting growth opportunities but entails a lot of uncertainty as well. Employees might fear how they’ll be impacted by biases in AI decision-making or how they’ll be left behind as AI automates some of their work. Despite these concerns, many organizations consider AI essential for thriving in markets where their competitors are eyeing it to accelerate their productivity.
Even when the stakes are high, organizations can positively influence employees’ perceptions of organizational changes — with transparency and an earnest desire to empower their employees on the road to a stronger, more resilient organization.
Regarding AI specifically, an organization might need to upskill its employees so they don’t feel obsolete and can instead look forward to growing alongside the technology. Novel forms of support (that go beyond training) might be necessary as well. Even if an employee isn’t using AI directly, their work still might be affected. They could benefit from a support network that helps them navigate these new challenges.
As this training and support becomes available, leaders will be responsible for ensuring employees are aware of it and are supported in applying it to their work. Organizations can communicate that these initiatives are investments in employees’ career — helping employees feel valued and empowered even as changes occur in their industry.
Organizations have always dealt with change. This means there is plenty of support for navigating it effectively. But the past few years have redefined just how rapid and ubiquitous change can be. It’s easy to become overwhelmed, but the very thing that inundates leaders — a flood of information — is also leaders’ best chance for recourse.
Armed with the recommendations in this article, training professionals can help leaders be better equipped to navigate the tide and integrate what they learn — from experts and from their own employees — into their vision that allowed them to weather changes in the past.
