The Challenges of New Leadership

Change is a good thing, right?

Businesses and organizations refine and adjust their strategy based on many things, including the changing needs of their client-base and the market place. One of the most significant catalysts for change is new leadership.

Once the announcement of a new leader is made, the change process begins. 

And then, all the people say, “Oh, joy; a new leader who will want to change everything.”

As they say, change is never easy. There are multiple upon multiple studies showing that just the idea of change causes fear and stress for those involved. However, sometimes new leadership is not just necessary, but also vital to organizational growth and, even perhaps its very survival.

New leaders, be they CEOs or mid-level managers, certainly bring their own personality and management style to the top of the table. If they come from outside the organization, the most valuable asset they bring is not their education or years of experience, but a perspective quite different from those on the inside.

Good leaders know that recognizing and utilizing differing perspectives to make decisions about what must be changed is crucial. The difficulty in implementation comes from team members with the “We’ve Always Done It This Way” mentality, and those mired in GroupThink. Without trudging down the rabbit hole discussions of those two issues, I think it is safe to say that they have their own particular challenges which require situation-specific actions to address.

When I began my career in the early 1980’s, organizational leaders based decisions on input from their division or department heads, who gathered data from their subordinates in a very controlled fashion. Employees worked 8am – 5pm (or 9am – 5pm), Monday through Friday, and spent evenings and the weekends with their families.

Thirty years later, more Millennials are moving into positions of leadership, and facing an ever-evolving multi-generational workforce with different, and often competing, demands for engagement and working conditions. The younger generation not only expects, but demands to have a seat at the table and expects to move to another company in a few years to take the next step in their careers. They also don’t want to watch the clock, or be constrained by having to be in an office every day.

Older workers, such as those from the Greatest Generation and my Baby Boomer generation need to feel respected for the knowledge and experience for which we have worked so hard for many years to earn. We also need a seat at the table, or at least know that the new, younger leadership has heard and acknowledged the issues we bring to light. Like the younger crowd, I love working from home, but I also like the idea of having evenings and weekends free.

The leadership challenge with a multi-generational work force is finding a way to meet the differing needs, while building a cohesive and open organizational culture that allows and encourages employees to be passionate about their work and their organization’s success.

In the words of former Secretary of State Colin Powell from his book, My American Journey,

"The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."  

Stepping into a new leadership role is an exciting experience. It is an opportunity to develop a vision for excellence and innovation, and to share that vision with an actively engaged organization. All leaders face challenges, however, it is their response to those challenges that determines their success.

If you have been a new organizational or business leader, what words of wisdom would you share with those who want to be, and one day will be, a new leader?

NOTE: This post also appears on LinkedIn.

Before founding her own consulting firm in 2013, Dawn Gannon served as a respected project management and administrative operations professional in the military, higher education, and women’s healthcare fields for 25 years. She holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Organizational Management from American Public University, is a contributor on LinkedIn, and the author of the Management in Motion blog.

Dawn currently serves as the Past Chair of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Women’s Council, and teaches health and safety classes for the American Red Cross. As an infertility survivor she has been a featured speaker within the Fertility Community, and written numerous articles on the topic of childfree living. 

Keeping Your Work Environment Positive Begins Within You

EDITOR’S NOTE: This week, Management in Motion is pleased to welcome a guest blogger, Kristen Darcy, an award-winning author, fertility coach, motivational speaker and expert on the emotional aspects of infertility and other life challenges.

Do you realize that you might spend more time with your work family than your own family? Given that time creates a familial dynamic, do you sometimes wonder how you keep the peace at work without assuming a parental or sibling role?

Creating work place awareness or developing a culture by design begins within.  

Early in my career, I worked with an all women staff at my mother’s nursing home (nepotism and those issues comprise a whole other article). There were moments when the employees acted like sibling rivals. Most of the arguments were about who was going to wear the fancy white hairnets, which everyone originally perceived negatively. Then, employees started complaining when they didn't get that one white fancy hair net. Since we were all teens this made sense. We were all competing for the perceived wanted item. 

What was most disconcerting to me at the time was the "back stabbing" chatter, such as “Can you believe her?” “What’s up with that?” and so on.

Fast forward to when I opened my learning center. Once again, it was an all-women environment, though a more grown up version that still functioned like a family.  The atmosphere was littered with side bar conversations where one person was pitted against another or one faction opposed to another one.

Uniting the workforce, in my humble opinion, begins from the top down. It has to be cared for each and every day by each employee from the inside out.

The intent to do no harm and uplift the environment might be in the mission statement but how do you translate that into your daily interaction with your fellow employees?

Confucius’ statement, “Remember, no matter where you go, there you are” is a perfect mirror to create a work environment of peace.  

What bothers you the most about someone could be making you aware about an opportunity to work on yourself? For example, you might be critical of a coworker who is late, doesn't finish a project on time, or is a complainer instead of a solution provider.

What do these people trigger within you?  Do they trigger judgment, resentment, or frustration?  Ask yourself how you feel, and then follow up with: “What do I need?” Then you can focus on coming from a perspective of peacemaking, and offering solution driven action steps instead of complaining.

Once a well-respected, hard-working and caring teacher came into my office to announce that she just had it!  She was done with the chatter and sniping coming from another teacher.  That day my tolerance level was a bit low. Upon hearing the “same song, different verse” energy, I stopped what I was doing to bring the other well educated, caring, and loving teacher into my office, forcing the two women to have a face to face conversation. I was done with their negative energy.

That day, I learned there are unconscious patterns that trigger life experiences and play out in the work place.  Here’s the kicker. Most are not even aware that an old pattern or script is playing out, and that an autopilot response ripples out, creating unease.

I also learned it’s never about the other person and what they do, e.g., leaving five minutes early, leaving the lunch room a mess, fill in the description of the complaint.  It is the meaning you are assigning to these interactions that creates the lack of peace or positive energy. 

So, what do you need?  What are you feeling?  How do you create peace within so that it vibrates out into the workplace, family life, and world?

Did you hear your answer?  If yes, then what are you doing to nurture that need?

Peaceful working on you and your shadow parts (aka the triggers) creates peace in whatever environment you find yourself. 

So once again, “Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.”

Here’s some homework:

Take time to write down five things you like about your “work” you.  Perhaps it’s your organizational skills, your communication style, or maybe your ability to cut through all the minutia and keep everyone on task?  Write down the five you dig about yourself.

Now write down the five traits that irritate you the most about your co-workers?  What do they have in common? How can you look at the irritants and what can you learn about yourself to create peace?

Peace within ripples outward! 

Kristen Darcy is an award-winning author, fertility coach, motivational speaker and expert on the emotional aspects of infertility and other life challenges. Kristen also consults with fertility providers and organizations, teaching them how to attract and retain clients by emotionally treating patients and providing the ultimate patient experience.

Kristen is the advisor, supporter, and friend infertile women need. Kristen Magnacca was one of the first former patients and fertility survivors who addressed the mental and emotional crisis of infertility. She is the author of the groundbreaking Girlfriend to Girlfriend: A Fertility Companion (First Books Library, 2000) as well as the award-winning Love & Infertility: Survival Strategies for Balancing Infertility, Marriage and Life (LifeLine Press, 2004). Love and Infertility is the inaugural recipient of the Hope Award, Best Book Coping, from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and 2014 is the tenth anniversary of its publication.

Kristen testified before the US Senate in the spring of 2000 about the importance of government funding for fertility research and holistic treatment. She has been highlighted in national publications and broadcast media including NBC’s The Today Show,Woman’s World magazine, PBS’ Health Week and The Boston Globe. She also is a former board member and volunteer for RESOLVE of New England. 

Learn more about Kristen at www.kristenmagnacca.com.