Give me back my change!
I’m currently doing some work with an overseas client, meaning I spend a bit of time on planes. On my last flight, a significant change was introduced and I’m not sure how I feel about it. One thing I love about flying is being off the grid. But this new change is wifi availability on board. And it’s seriously good. I was Facebook chatting (that’s what us oldies use for that thing we call social networking) with my family while aloft over the Indian Ocean. And then I’m not sure just how much I love it because I got drawn into answering emails that didn’t need answering until I was back on terra firma but hey – I’ve got wifi and I’m pretty freakin busy and important right?!
I noticed that everyone around me was loving this change. But isn’t change meant to be difficult? Not always. Here’s what made it easy:
The pre-flight announcement included some information about why this innovation is safe
It was available to everyone
There was lots of energy and enthusiasm about it from the cabin crew
What you could and couldn’t access was clear right from the beginning (turns out downloading your Netflix library is out of scope)
But then a hitch. We got to somewhere over the vast expanse of central Australia and wifi dropped out. Fair enough, I’m not deep into how the system works, but my assumption is that it relies on some support from the ground and there isn’t much in the Outback. And this new change that people had so quickly adopted was suddenly out of reach. This thing that most of us had never been able to do until very recently (and some of us until this very flight) was suddenly, mercilessly, snatched from our grasp. Panic ensued. When would it be back? How long does such a wifi drop out last? Tell me, give me some assurance! The sudden change threatened chaos all the way back to row 65 (who knows what upheaval was happening in front of the curtain?!).
In their book, Adaptive Leadership, Ron Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Alexander Grashow talk about the difference gain and loss make in how we enrol in change. If I give you the winning lotto ticket (or wifi access at 30,000 feet), you’ll get on that change pretty quickly. But if change threatens us with loss, we resist. In my metal tube, here’s what made change hard:
It happened suddenly and without choice
What had been promised was now not available
None of the cabin crew could tell us how long a ‘short and temporary’ drop out would be
‘Short and temporary’ was the line of the moment (many moments…) – no additional information about the challenges of maintaining this new tech advancement mid air over one of the more remote places on the planet.
Brisbane was our saviour and, as we passed over the top, emails, whatsapp messages and facebook reactions zinged back to life. But it helped me reflect on what people need through change. The challenge for leaders is to nail three things I reckon:
Connect with your people so you know what their hopes and aspirations, worries and fears are
Be really clear about what they can expect in the journey of change, what they can expect of you, and what you expect of them
Care for them all the way through, and be especially ready to step up that support when the unexpected happens.
Leading people through change is a foundational leadership skill in today’s working world. If you want to build this skill across your own organisation, get in touch for a chat about my Leading Through Change series.