Written by: Marguerite Thibodeaux, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Everyone's on their own personal rollercoaster when it comes to big changes. Some people feel relief and excitement at the thought of the new opportunities and experiences that the change presents. Others feel a sense of hesitation because they're worried about what it means for them. It can take time to get accustomed to changes, especially major ones, and that transition won't be easy for everybody.
As a leader, there are some things you can do to make the transition as smooth as possible for all of your teammates. And a smooth transition is a productive, engaged transition.
1. Set workplace requirements grounded in job expectations.
What are the major changes that your team has to go through? A lot of companies are worried about the economic condition in the world. Some are trying to stay afloat financially and inevitably would have to lay a portion of their workforce. This entails changes in the responsibilities of the remaining employees. This is a good example where the job expectations of your remaining teammates are going to need to be rescoped. Those job expectations should be based on the company's core priorities and should also be reasonable based on an individual’s capacity.
2. Communicate early.
As a leader, you would also want to communicate to your team the workplace and job expectation changes as early as possible. You want to give your teammates at least 30 to 60 days to allow for the transition. It’s going to take a little while for your team to hop on to their new roles, and you need to carve out time to help them make those shifts.
3. Communicate often.
Give your teammates as much information as you have and as often as possible.
When people are going through change, they often need to talk about the same points several times to process it and truly understand it. You would want to do this individually and as a team to help people really understand what's expected. Hold space to answer questions along the way, such as:
“Ask me anything” sessions to take questions.
Team meetings to provide new information regularly as you get it.
A Slack channel for questions as they come up and where people can have an ongoing dialogue.
A regularly updated FAQ document as a single source of truth teammates can access whenever they need the most up-to-date information.
4. Help your teammates envision their new work life.
Help your teammates envision the future, so they can plan and take the steps necessary to take on their new responsibilities. Give them a clear understanding of what their new role means and set realistic expectations. Here are some questions that you can use to help each of your teammates craft their own vision.
What does their day look like with their new role?
What are the new goals that they have to meet?
How does this change affect how they go about their work?
Do you need help crafting strategies to support your team get through a big change? Click HERE to snag a free, 30-minute session so we can discuss your challenges and create a plan for your team. Every leader deserves support.
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Check out her website for free leadership resources like a Professional Development Roadmapping Worksheet and Attrition Risk Matrix.
Want one-on-one adapting these strategies to your team? Book a complimentary call with Marguerite. Every leader deserves support.
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Marguerite Thibodeaux, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Marguerite Thibodeaux, an leadership coach and talent management consultant, helps leaders and organizations bring the best out of people with courage, compassion, and clarity. After building development programs and leading a talent transformation at a Fortune 100, she became increasingly aware that not all leaders had access to a Fortune 100 Learning & Development team. To do something about that, she started Magnanimous Leadership, a leadership coaching and consulting firm that's on a mission to make resources and support available to every leader.
