February 2, 2024

Mastering Change


Here are seven pivotal strategies that leaders can use to usher in the change they need to revolutionize both their personal and organizational paradigms.

People riding a paper airplane

[Images: master1305/Adobe Stock]

Fast Company Executive Board

4 MINUTE READ

While all of us need to change—and many will say we want to change—few will actually change. The need to change touches every industry and every department. “We don’t need to change” is the last thing leaders say before their business dies.

I’ve made a career of helping executives, boards, and strategic leadership teams make change easier, and earned my endorsement from the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) by assisting transformative change in over 500 organizations across 100 countries.

Over the course of my career, I’ve created seven pivotal strategies that leaders can use to usher in the change they need to revolutionize both their personal and organizational paradigms. I’m going to share what I’ve learned so you can help make change easier for you and your organization.

1. UNDERSTAND AND EMBRACE THE POSSIBILITY OF UNIVERSAL CHANGE

Change begins with belief. Every facet of an organization, from its business model to its culture, can be improved.  Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed firsthand how embracing change can revolutionize operations, sales, marketing, and human resources, leading to unprecedented growth and innovation.

But that only begins by first establishing a belief that we can change. As a facilitator, I lead my clients through a series of exercises to reimagine the business model, external factors, and how to leverage the talent in the room to seek peak performance.

2. DESIGNATE AND LEVERAGE A FACILITATOR

I’ve spent a lot of time guiding discussions, navigating organizations’ cultural nuances, and getting to the root of truth. These things are not always an easy feat for those directly engrossed in the day to day. Like couples therapy, this isn’t about hiring somebody to take sides; facilitation is about designating somebody to help simplify complex decisions and conversations.

Lasting change, just like any successful mediation, exists when the group agrees to adopt change-centric practices and frameworks to build healthy habits and procedures long after the facilitator leaves. The cost of meetings is one of the most expensive and timely endeavors in organizations, and hiring a professional facilitator will almost always create a magnitude of change and an ability to focus on results, not personalities.

3. CONTROL THOUGHTS, HABITS, AND NARRATIVES

The crux of effective change lies in controlling our thoughts, habits, and narratives, and selecting the opportunities on which to focus. Too often, I’ve found enormous decisions were made based on things outside of a leader’s circle of control.

When we work out of our circle of control, we avoid distractions and inevitably influence or impact all of that outside of what we can control anyway.  The go-to strategy to keep your team focused is to discuss approaches to thinking, habits, stories, and purpose, not external factors or competition that are out of your control.

4. CLARIFY VISION, ALIGNMENT, AND EXECUTION

In my facilitation sessions, a common revelation is the misalignment of vision within organizations. While many leaders believe that their teams are all on the same page, I’ve found that’s often not the case. In many organizations, employees fall into the trap of telling leadership what they want to hear, or not asking clarifying questions in the limited time they get with leadership. Like playing a game of telephone, teams and the front lines make assumptions and misinterpretations, weaving a web of misinformation.

I recommend co-creating a unified vision and aligning every department and leader. Then, develop a plan so everybody knows that what they’re doing matters and is aligned with at least one massive key performance indicator.

5. FOSTER INCLUSIVE GROWTH BY SEEKING UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES

Savvy leaders seek unique perspectives to cover their blind spots. Diversity and inclusion aren’t just buzzwords; they’re business imperatives. Yet, if we have these perspectives at the table and we don’t seek or ignore their input—why have them at the table at all? Every team member has something to contribute to the conversation if we make sure to include them in the process.

These unique perspectives can help when it comes to making billion-dollar decisions, particularly when it comes to unintended consequences. When we change lanes, we check our mirrors first, and unique perspectives can be that proverbial mirror!

6. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO CULTIVATE A PROBLEM-SOLVING MINDSET

The right questions can unearth the core issues hindering progress, mostly because understanding the struggle helps us to surrender to it. When we surrender to struggle, we enable our teams to transition from rigidity to a state of flow and innovation.

To cultivate a problem-solving mindset, begin by asking yourself:

  • How do we think bigger about that?
  • What habits do we need to implement to scale?
  • What is the new story we tell ourselves and the world?
  • What is the massive transformative purpose of our new business model?
  • What do we need to learn and grow from this experience?
  • What are the next steps?

7. BUILD RESILIENT CHANGE SYSTEMS

In a world where change is the only constant, organizations should be equipped to adapt continuously. In my business, a focus on training the trainer ensures the development of internal change systems, fostering organizational resilience and proactive adaptation.

By following these seven steps, you can help your organization drive learning and continuous improvement, create a culture of change, and formulate a language for growing each member of the company personally, professionally, and organizationally.


Aaron Bare is the Author of Exponential Theory, Founder of the Change Agents Academy, and an IAF Endorsed Facilitator.


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