Nourish change leadership with this one essential "nutrient"

Image: Foods rich in cholesterol

Here is feedback on today’s “serving” with this quiz

What would you do as leader in this scenario?

There is an unexpected breakdown, and your team cannot finish an urgent assignment before you leave the office for a week. To meet the client's needs, your team must find another way to get the job done before your return. You call a team meeting to discuss the challenge. What do you encourage them to do?

Re-negotiate timelines with the client OR Risk-taking with accountability

FEEDBACK

Feedback if you chose: “Re-negotiate timelines with the client”

It may not be wise to frustrate the client with delayed delivery. When something outside your control changes (like the breakdown) we should not carry on as usual and expect the client to just accept it. The situation requires a different approach to still meet the work goals

Feedback if you chose: “Risk-taking with accountability”

This is good leadership! Research found that transformational leaders encourage and motivate their team members to take risks and own their results which stimulates innovation and creativity in teams

This quiz is just a “taster” of a lot more fun-filled practical learning activities. See below.

Why Change Leadership?

Just like the human body needs healthy cholesterol, every work unit needs leaders who embrace, stimulate, initiate and lead change.

Cholesterol from animal food is the best-known sterol. The body can synthesize cholesterol for functions like hormone synthesis, vitamin D production, and cell structure. Dietary cholesterol also plays a role in maintaining blood cholesterol levels and overall health. Plant-based sterols reduce cholesterol levels by limiting the amount of cholesterol that can enter the body. It can also help reduce swelling in the prostate and other tissues. Important plant hormones regulate various biological processes such as gene expression, cell division, and growth responses and inhibit the development of various cancerous cells.

In the same way can the leader be a change agent. Change is essential, but too frequent, poorly led changes can wreak havoc in any team.

“Organizational change is a sophisticated and challenging process. As a result, many organizations that embark on change initiatives fail to achieve their intended goals and sometimes change leads to high costs, which undermine its benefits. However, despite these challenges, it is becoming increasingly important for organizations to embrace change for their survival and success owing to the dynamic and rapidly changing business environment caused mainly by technological advancement. The leadership roles during change include motivating employees, creating a vision for change, communicating change, planning for change, creating a conducive environment for change, getting team members and other stakeholders’ buy-in and leading by example”

• Derived from research article by Misheck Musaigwa Department of Business Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.

How to develop and practice change leadership

Every leader should do this

Just like the human body needs a regular portion of essential nutrients like healthy cholesterol to stay healthy, every leader needs a regular reminder and fresh exercise in developing essential leadership dimensions like change leadership.

Do what successful people do

World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year nominee Ethan Hooker ascribes his success to “Just always have something on your mind that you want to work on and better yourself. Get addicted to almost bettering yourself every day”

You must continuously be reminded of all the leadership functions and keep on learning how to make the essential dimensions part of your being in a leadership role

Take these steps now

• Click here to receive leadership quiz's like this in your inbox as we publish new posts in all the essential leadership dimensions.
• Get access to the full “buffet” of short, practical online learning activities. Then go to VISIONARY LEADERSHIP 26 where you can do the module “26 10 Change Leadership” to develop a full understanding and learn how to apply it in your everyday life, making this essential dimension part of your being as a leader.
• Nominate your team leaders and supervisors at admin@protalent.co.za

Our learning and development activities are derived from recent scientific research. Our interactive modules are quick to complete, deeply impactful and translates complex leadership concepts and principles into understandable and useful strategies for everyone to use in the workplace and in their personal lives, making learners more effective in leading teams, enhancing personal wellness and refining interpersonal skills. Learners develop a comprehensive understanding of essential leadership dimensions, they learn how to apply it in simulations as well as the real work environment, coupled with coaching feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Written by Principal Coach at the Academy for Practical Leadership Development

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