Sometimes, as a leader, you have to communicate (and implement) unpopular decisions and changes. Even worse, you may often find yourself charged with communicating or implementing decisions that you don’t agree with yourself. Yet workplace change is an endless reality. Shifting expectations, advancing technology, moving targets, toss in a pandemic for good measure; and change fatigue is not only real, but often debilitatingly painful. Is it any wonder then that so many of the people you work with resist change?
So as a leader, how can you communicate unpopular decisions and changes that you know will not be liked or accepted while still maintaining trust and your credibility? The answer is: thoughtfully; deliberately; with honesty and openness.
There are six things you need to focus on
In my latest column for The Globe and Mail that published this morning, I list and explain the six things you must focus on as you craft and deliver a message that you know will be disliked.
How to communicate unpopular decisions and changes
If you’re a paid online subscriber to The Globe, here is a direct link to the column on their site: https://tgam.ca/2TYfg3j
So the recent pandemic has created a lot of change in workplaces, and we’re not done yet! As restrictions lift, many workplaces are making significant changes – staggered working hours, physical distancing, altered procedures, just to name a few – how are you and your people managing? What are your biggest challenges, and how are you dealing with them? Please share your experiences, and the solutions you’re trying, so that we can all learn from one another. Add your comment below.
I write a regular monthly column for The Globe and Mail Report on Business, under the banner of Leadership Matters. Here are links to some of the more recent ones: