Leading Change

Leading others through change is a key leadership competency and has become an even more crucial skillset as the rate of change continues to accelerate in today’s business landscape. When leaders have this important capability, organizations and teams are able to accelerate change initiatives and involve the entire organization in driving and sustaining important transformations that will ensure the organization’s long-term success.

CMOE’s Leading Change workshop is a one-of-a-kind learning experience because it focuses on the specific skills leaders need to:

Develop their own resiliency, capacity, and composure when change occurs.
Manage the people side of change—including creating stability, communicating with clarity, sharing a compelling vision, setting expectations, and engaging others in the transformation process.

The learning experience does not focus on the mechanics of change management. Instead, it addresses the often-missing piece of change: the mindset and behaviors leaders need to lead themselves and others effectively and efficiently through a period of transition.

The practical and systematic methods and tools explored in the workshop enable leaders to successfully navigate resistance and close the gap between where they are now and where they want or need to be so the transition can become a competitive advantage for them, their team, and the organization. In addition to learning about how to lead people through organizational change, the workshop also introduces concepts about how a leader can drive and orchestrate productive and necessary change within their own team and areas of responsibility.

Objectives & Outcomes

The program is an ideal solution for leaders at all levels of an organization who need the skills to lead change within the organization, a work group, or team. In the workshop, participants will:

Build their awareness about internal and external forces of change.
Learn about their role in and a process for helping people who are change-averse, change-tolerant, and change-seekers through periods of transition.
Explore common responses to change and how to manage the stages of change while modeling resiliency for others.
Discover how to create an environment where people are drivers of productive change and receptive and resilient when change occurs.
Identify important changes that need to be made and focus change efforts on the things that will positively shape the organization’s future.
Explore strategies for successfully communicating changes, managing ambiguity, collaborating with others on solutions to challenges, and coaching people through the implementation and sustainability process.

Our Approach

The Leading Change program is built around an application-focused approach that provides leaders with opportunities to apply the core skills and tools to real initiatives and begin exploring strategies to sustain momentum with current changes while building a climate that is positioned for future change.

In addition to a robust application process, this dynamic and engaging learning experience includes the following elements:

An engaging simulation
Self-assessment
Case studies and examples
A practical framework and core concepts
Facilitator and peer feedback
Self-reflection and discovery
Guides and tools

Throughout the workshop, participants draw on the experience of others as they learn best practices and work on personalized action plans.

The workshop can also be used in conjunction with CMOE’s Leading Innovation workshop for a more comprehensive learning experience. These two topics pair together naturally because leaders often lead change initiatives that are associated with innovations in products, services, processes, and strategies.

“The rate of change is not going to slow down any time soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.”

—John P. Kotter, Leading Change

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

—M. Scott Peck

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.”

—Wolfgang von Goethe

Leading Change FAQs

What is the difference between change management and change leadership?

Change management typically involves the mechanics of implementing a specific change initiative, including the systems, processes, procedures, standards, and structures associated with it. Change management includes setting goals, targets, action steps, and milestones that help leaders monitor progress and achieve desired outcomes.

Change leadership is the mindset and behaviors of leaders that drive the transformation and is more people focused. It includes the intentional process of helping people navigate the internal, psychological process of a transition. Change leadership involves communicating a compelling vision of the future, influencing others, providing support and coaching, sustaining momentum with a particular change initiative, and creating a resilient culture.

What is the role of a change leader?

Leaders are change drivers for two reasons: (1) they see the need for change and (2) they work hard to push the needed change forward. Both components are necessary. The power of a change leader is not just in his or her ability to proactively see and understand the changes that are needed, but to intervene and take action on change initiatives in order to achieve better results for the organization. Some leaders are better equipped to manage change with ease and resiliency than others but developing the ability to effectively lead change can be learned.

Change leaders make a compelling case for the changes that are being introduced and help others understand the necessity and value of those changes. They also acknowledge the loss people feel and address the natural fears, concerns, and resistance that often accompany change.

Change leaders define new expectations, behaviors, and the commitment needed from people. When leading others through transitions, leaders set a new direction and share a compelling vision of the future so people can see the possibilities and what success looks like. They collaborate on action plans and influence others to take ownership for execution. As changes are implemented, leaders provide ongoing coaching and support. One of the most important roles of a change leader is creating alignment with key stakeholders so initiatives can be cascaded throughout the organization in a timely and practical way.

What are the types of change?

Two types of change occur in organizations: change that is driven by someone or something and change that occurs naturally. Driven change is deliberate and designed with a specific purpose in mind. The catalyst for this type can be forces that are either internal or external, and sometimes they are both. Change that is intentional is important because it allows leaders to shape the future, capitalize on opportunities, and proactively address issues and challenges.

Why is change important?

In this competitive world, organizations that want to be relevant in the future have no choice but to transform and evolve. Leaders have to be at the forefront of change and take action on new ideas and windows of opportunity to maintain or achieve competitive advantage. They cannot conduct business as usual and must do things that are different from the things that were done in the past.

Change produces a fascinating duality—negative consequences are inevitably paired with positive benefits. Likewise, positive outcomes can be distilled from negative changes that unfold with the organization. Whether a change is viewed as positive or negative, it is a necessary part of an organization’s growth and evolution. Even though it can be uncomfortable, forward-thinking leaders seek out and drive change deliberately because they desire to make things better.

Why do people resist change?

There are many reasons why people resist change, but here are some of the most common reasons:

The purpose of the change is unclear.
They are surprised about the change.
They don’t have input in decisions or plans to implement the change.
They mistrust the person communicating or initiating the change.
There is a history of poorly implemented changes in the organization.
They are naturally change-averse and too comfortable with the status quo.
They feel they are losing status, power, influence, structure, competence, and or relationships.
The change will impact security and interests.
They don’t believe it is necessary.
Key managers don’t appear to support the change.

Leaders play an important role in coaching and influencing people who are resistant to change.

Delivery Options

When delivered as a standalone event, the Leading Change workshop is typically delivered in a one-day format. As an alternative, the workshop can be combined with CMOE’s Leading Innovation workshop for. This combined learning event can be delivered as a one-day workshop, or it can be delivered over multiple days.

The Leading Change workshop can be taught by one of CMOE’s talented facilitators and held at a location of your choice, or we can provide Train-the-Trainer services for clients who prefer to deliver the program using their organization’s internal facilitators or training professionals. The Leading Change program can also be built into an organization’s leadership-development curriculum or process.

Instructor-led training (delivered onsite by a CMOE subject matter expert/facilitator)

Digital learning program (self-paced or live)

Blended and layered solution (combining instructor-led training and digital learning)

Train the trainer services (certifying internal trainers in CMOE's world-class programs)

Curriculum integration (deliver the topic in conjunction with another topic or event or build it into a development curriculum)

4-16 hours (8 hours preferred) for instructor-led variable for digital learning

Contact a CMOE Client Services Specialist to discuss a targeted solution that is right for your organization.

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