Quick Summary
Emotional intelligence is one of several leadership skills that's highly tested when we lead our teams through change.
Emotional Intelligence & Why It Matters
Change has never been more prevalent.
In a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) world, as leaders we need to effectively manage change to guide our teams through uncertainty and adapt to evolving circumstances to achieve organizational goals and sustain success.
Managing change tests our leadership skills on every level.
In part one, we'll focus on how leading through change calls for a high degree of emotional intelligence (EQ).
Emotional intelligence:
The ability to recognize, understand, and deal skillfully with one's own emotions and the emotions of others (as by regulating one's emotions or by showing empathy and good judgment in social interactions).
EQ is often overlooked as an important skill for managing change because far too often, change initiatives primarily focus on training (skills and knowledge) and process.
And yet, a crucial aspect of change management is managing the people side of change.
EQ is a critical skill to navigate and manage our own emotions and the emotions of our team members in the midst of change.
It may feel uncomfortable to talk about emotions in a work setting, but we must realize that change brings up some very real emotions (and for good reason).
There's resistance, fear and discomfort that arise out of the uncertainty that change creates. These feelings can also arise based on whether or not the changes support - or are in conflict with - personal beliefs, values, biases and even company culture.
Other feelings can arise out of the fact that learning is a process. When we're required to adopt new skills and behaviors or apply new knowledge and information consistently, we may struggle and feel demotivated and frustrated at certain points in the process.
Frustration and resistance may be a byproduct of change fatigue, resulting from more change than can realistically be handled by employees or from companies creating a revolving door of change in their haste to address business needs.
To provide an open, supportive environment to address the emotions that come with change, as leaders we must create psychological safety.
That may sound like psychobabble, but it's a powerful concept that's essential for fostering a high-performance culture that celebrates creativity, productivity, accountability, innovation and positive team dynamics as well as ensuring employee engagement and retention.
Coined by Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School, psychological safety is:
A belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.
EQ is essential for creating psychological safety.
High EQ leaders create the right environment by practicing empathy, showing vulnerability, building trust, recognizing "failure" as an opportunity to learn and encouraging open communication among team members.
By creating psychological safety, leaders can develop resilient teams that embrace change, collaborate effectively and navigate challenges with confidence and cohesion.
Leaders need to remain adaptable and manage their own emotions around change. In fact, managing change should start with leaders first for this reason, in addition to making sure they're prepared to facilitate change!
Read on for tips on how!
How to Apply It
Psychological Safety
To uncover how your team feels about a current or future change, you first need to make sure you create psychological safety.
Here are five tangible ways you can start to create an environment where people feel comfortable being open with you, their boss, and with their team:
Encourage Open Communication: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, opinions and concerns without fear of judgment or reprisal.
Lead by Example: Demonstrate vulnerability, admit mistakes and encourage others to do the same, building trust and rapport.
Actively Listen: Listen to understand - not to respond to - your team members. Show empathy and validate their perspectives, fostering a sense of being heard and understood.
Provide Feedback Constructively: Offer feedback in a constructive and supportive way, focusing on growth and improvement rather than criticism that may feel personal. Consider using the SBII model to give feedback.
Celebrate Diversity: Embrace diverse perspectives, backgrounds and experiences within your team, recognizing the value that each individual brings to the table and creating a sense of inclusion and belonging.
Creating psychological safety takes time and requires consistent words, actions and behaviors by leaders. Once you've built it, you can ask questions that you'll more likely get open, honest answers to, including how your team feels about a current or future change.
Team's Emotions
To understand how your team feels about a change, start with one-on-one conversations and ask questions such as:
How do you feel about the changes? What are you concerned or excited about?
What impact do you think this change will have on you, your work and our team's dynamics?
Are there any aspects of the change process that you feel uncertain about or would like more clarification on?
What do you think will be the biggest challenges or obstacles we'll face during this change?
How can I best support you and the team during this transition period?
Your Emotions
Since EQ includes how well you manage your own emotions, make sure you take the time to consider and address how you feel about the changes.
In an ideal world, change is managed with leaders first to allow for just that and to prepare you to lead your team through change.
Short of that, consider these five questions to help you consider how you feel about the changes and to help you prepare to do the same with your team:
How do I feel about the change and how it impacts me (including day-to-day experience, compensation, job satisfaction, etc.)?
How do I feel about why this change is happening and why now? Do I feel prepared to share the why / why now with my team?
How do I feel about how the change impacts my team (including day-to-day experience, compensation, job satisfaction, team dynamics, etc.)?
What would help me feel more prepared to lead through this change? What do I need to talk through (e.g., asking questions, sharing concerns) with my boss and even senior leadership?
How will I address the common emotions that will likely arise with my team as a result of this change?
Bottom Line
Leaders must build and practice emotional intelligence to create psychological safety and address the people side of change, to effectively lead their teams through change.
When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion. - Dale Carnegie
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