Summary of 4 Factors That Help Leaders Lead Successful Change

Britt Andreatta

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4 Factors That Help Leaders Lead Successful Change summary

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Qualities

Applicable
Overview
Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Consultant Britt Andreatta outlines how to gauge your team members and employees’ reactions to change during the COVID-19 shutdowns and gradual reopening. Biologically, the brain’s amygdala sees change as a threat, and that provokes a fight-or-flight response. Changes in your routines and your environment also disrupt the brain. You may have to extend deadlines and reduce your expectations of what your employees will accomplish. Try to gain an understanding of your employees’ emotions by mapping their reactions to change. A leader’s compassion and ability to communicate are critically important in helping people move through periods of change and uncertainty.

About the Author

Consultant Britt Andreatta, PhD works with Fortune 100 companies in areas of leadership development and talent development.

Summary

Change affects the brain biologically.

Leading your team during the COVID-19 pandemic requires learning to manage people with compassion. In response to change, the brain’s amygdala triggers feelings of anxiety and fear. Changes to a person’s physical or social environment affect the brain’s entorhinal cortex, which generates “mental maps” of his or her “physical spaces and social networks.” New routines at work also affect the basal ganglia, the area of the brain that creates and automates habits.

Support your employees by remaining calm and sympathetic and by communicating regularly. Make sure they have breaks between meetings, and encourage remote workers to engage socially via video during the day. As you implement new technologies, understand that problems will occur. Be patient with your employees, and allow them to ask questions.

The “Change Matrix” can help you navigate change.

To manage change effectively as a leader, be aware of four important forces that affect your employees. Consider these factors in four quadrants that form a “Change Matrix.” The first two focus on your staff members...

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