The Gauntlet
Leaders deal with change almost every day. Sometimes it’s intentional, meant to produce sustainable improvement. Other times, it can be a reaction to evolving circumstances.
Many times, there’s a need to act with urgency.
Whatever the motivation, rarely is change easy to implement.
Leading a team from a known, comfortable situation toward an unknown one, is a fundamental and expected challenge of leadership. And the first milestone on this journey is achieving team commitment to the new direction.
Promptly securing this commitment often depends on how you message it. Are you communicating change or progress? It makes a difference as noted in the chart below:
| Change | Progress |
| Usually starts with where you are now and how undesirable this is | Starts by defining where you want to be, why you want to get there, and how desirable this is |
| Often initiated by fear | Driven by aspiration, a desire to improve |
| Can be directionless – the impetus is to move away from an undesirable current state | Is directed – the motivation being to achieve a goal or at least progress toward that goal |
| Success may not be clear as the desired outcome is often negative (e.g., to avoid disruption) | Success is defined by a clear, specific outcome, or progress toward it |
| The outcome can be imposed on you | The outcome is a deliberate choice to move in the chosen direction |
How often are you communicating change vs. progress?
