How connection can prepare your company for change

• October 10, 2017
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Within the C-suite today, dealing with change is under continuous discussion. This is especially true in health care, where there are so many different clinical, regulatory, financial, structural, competitive and patient-focused dimensions that must be well managed.

Assuredly, dealing with change is a critical variable in all leadership activities, and it is incumbent on leaders to consciously position their organizations, their teams and their employees to accept, embrace and execute change that contributes to broader success. It may be a tall order, but good leaders do this well.

In my observation, leaders who have sincere connection with employees are able to move change through their organizations with the least number of barriers and cultural resistance and with the greatest acceptance and adoption by employees. This connection with employees is what I believe best positions the employee culture to transform with change.

In my experience, sincere connection comes when leaders are able to meet the three things I believe employees want from them. Those are:

• Trust
• Commitment
• Caring

In his book “The Speed of Trust,” Stephen Covey suggests that trust in leaders is developed when leaders demonstrate competency in their talents, skills, results, and integrity in their character and actions. These personal dimensions are also characteristics of servant leaders.

Along with trust, leaders who invest in employee relationships and demonstrate sincere commitment and caring for employees develop the strongest connection. This investment is both individual and collective.

The most effective leaders I’ve observed show commitment to employees by consistently focusing on:

• Mission/moral purpose
• Fairness
• Employee needs
• Problem solving
• Empowerment and teamwork
• Recruiting excellent people

Caring is closely related to commitment. Effective leaders show caring through the following behaviors:

• Being accessible
• Knowing their employees
• Guiding and teaching
• Listening and giving clarity
• Communicating with transparency and explanation
• Showing empathy and humility
• Helping where possible with individual needs
• Giving personal and team recognition
• Celebrating success together with employees
• Interjecting humor

When leaders enable a convergence of trust, commitment and caring, employee cultures become positive and open to change because employees feel valued and safe. This is especially true when an organization’s mission has worthy purpose and employees know they are a part of something special and are important to the work that is performed.

A positive and open culture creates a workforce that is then ready to accept change and share new knowledge and new insights within their structured and collective teams. Here, leadership has workforce teamwork and an employee platform ready for direction.

On the other hand, control-based leaders struggle with change and usually cannot gain desired results because such environments don’t inspire employees to give the same attention, commitment or desire to embrace change as in connected cultures.

Connection really works. Servant leaders embrace it.