Managing Through Change: A Guide for New Managers
Are you nervous about managing change? (Image by Moose Photos for Pexels)
These days change is a constant, especially in the nonprofit and sustainability sectors. Whether it’s shifts in funding, evolving environmental policies, or new strategic priorities, the ability to adapt and lead through change is critical. As a recently promoted or hired middle-level manager, navigating these waters can be challenging.
Of course, you’re already a supportive manager! But if you’re also navigating organizational change, this is the time to turbo-charge that support by ensuring team members feel valued and understood, and that they view challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. Here are some key strategies to help you effectively lead your team through organizational change.
1. Communicate Clearly and Consistently
Helping your team transition smoothly through change involves careful planning and effective communication. To build trust and reduce uncertainty, share what you know about the changes as soon as you can, and keep your team informed with regular updates even if there is no new information. Encourage feedback and questions, and create a safe space for your team to express their concerns and ideas.
To keep everyone on track, communicate clear goals and milestones, monitor progress, and adjust plans as necessary.
Open communication also creates a safe space for contributing ideas in brainstorming sessions, when you and your team are looking for creative ways to solve problems.
2. Foster Resilience
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to new circumstances. To cultivate resilience, provide a supportive environment, encourage a flexible mindset, and make training available that helps your team cope with change and develop new skills.
3. Maintain Morale
High morale is crucial for productivity and team cohesion, especially during change. It’s also an important factor in brainstorming, otherwise people are likely to hold back on contributing ideas. Easy ways to keep your team motivated are to celebrate wins big and small, show appreciation for individual and team efforts, and maintain your own positive and optimistic attitude as an example for your team.
4. Align Team Efforts with Organizational Goals
Ensuring that your team’s efforts are aligned with the organization’s goals is key to successfully navigating change. Top of the list, and this is also important for creative problem-solving, is clearly communicating the organization’s mission and vision. Discuss how the changes align with these, then translate them into specific, actionable goals, making sure that everyone knows their role in achieving the goals.
Conclusion
Managing through change is a complex but essential skill for any manager. By communicating effectively, fostering resilience, maintaining morale, and aligning team efforts with organizational goals, you can lead your team through change with confidence and success.
Not only that, but you also set the stage for more imaginative problem-solving, which helps you stand out and be noticed as a rockstar manager. So take advantage of the opportunities for growth and innovation that come with change, support your team well on this bumpy ride, and know that you’ll come out a better leader on the other side.
Want to get your hands on more change-management tools?
You’ll gain new methods for creative problem-solving, which will help with managing change, at our upcoming webinar “Becoming a Rockstar Manager: Stand Out, Get Noticed, and Set Yourself Up For Promotion!”.
I develop newly minted managers who want to stand out and become highly valued, by leading a team that comes up with solutions no one else could see before.
If you’d like to see what tapping into creative potential could look like at your place of work, contact me at Ellia@ThePotentialCenter.com to arrange a no-obligation call.