Leading through change: supporting yourself and others

1. Support yourself first

Understanding your own relationship with change matters before you can support others through it.

Susan David's research on emotional agility shows that leaders who acknowledge their own difficult emotions, rather than suppressing them, make better decisions and are more effective in their relationships. Susan's TED talk is a good starting point and is listed in the further reading.

Ask yourself:

• How do I respond when things feel uncertain?
• Am I carrying anything into this conversation that belongs to me rather than to the person I am supporting?
• What do I need to stay effective in this role right now?

2. Apply Covey's Circle of Control

Covey's Circle of Control divides what we think about into three areas:

• Circle of concern: what you worry about but cannot change. For example, funding decisions, government policy and institutional restructuring.
• Circle of control: what is within your own power. How you respond, what you say and how you look after yourself.
• Circle of influence: what you can affect through your relationships and actions. How you communicate with your group, the conversations you have and the culture you create around you.

Most people under pressure spend the majority of their energy in the circle of concern. That leaves
very little for what can actually be done.

Ask yourself:

• What is one thing in my circle of control that I could act on today?

3. Ways to support others through change

Encourage agency

Help the people you support identify what they can do. That might be building on existing strengths,
exploring industry partnerships or considering alternative funding routes. There are more options than people realise.

Ask yourself:

• What options have you not yet considered?

Share information honestry

Share what you know and be clear about what you do not know yet.

Ask yourself:

• What do I know that would help this person right now?

Signpost to spaces for listening

Know what exists across your institution and beyond. Wellbeing services, peer networks and other support structures can all provide a space outside your immediate role.

Ask yourself:

• Where can I direct this person so they feel heard?

Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a team

Patrick Lencioni's research on team performance identifies five behaviours that determine whether a
group stays cohesive during difficult periods. Each builds on the one before it.

• Trust
• Healthy conflict
• Commitment
• Accountability
• Results

Use this model to identify where your team is struggling. Where is accountability missing? Where is commitment low? Where has trust broken down? Start there and address it directly.

Top tips:

• Hold regular meetings that include how you are working together, not just what you are working on.
• Be honest about what you know and what you do not know yet.
• Involve your team in identifying what they can do something about.
• Acknowledge what has been difficult before asking people to move forward.
• Recognise small wins. Outputs, submissions and completions all count.

Kotter on Resistance to Change

Kotter's research identifies four conditions that cause people to resist or disengage during change.

• The person does not understand what is changing and why.
• They do not trust that the change will deliver what has been promised.
• They feel they have no control or input.
• Previous change has affected them in ways that have never been acknowledged.

Resistance is rarely about the change itself. It is usually one of the four conditions above.

Identify which of the four conditions is most likely before you respond.

• If clarity is low, share what you know, even if the full picture is not yet available.
• If trust is low, follow through on small commitments.
• If someone feels unheard, create a genuine opportunity for input.
• If previous change has left frustration, acknowledge it before moving forward.
• Address difficult behaviour privately and be clear about its impact on the team.
• If the behaviour continues despite these steps, seek guidance from your HR function.