What do you do if your executives are not leading by example during times of change?

To have a successful private conversation, it is crucial to gather evidence of how their actions (or lack thereof) affect employees. Prepare talking points with solutions, not accusations. Schedule a calm, private meeting and start with appreciation for their efforts. Focus on the impact of their invisibility and present ideas for improvement, like town halls or training participation. Frame it as a collaborative effort for a smoother transition. Avoid, by all means, blaming, going public, or getting emotional. Be patient; this is the first step.

Executives or senior leadership commitment is very critical during any change. If executives are no leading by example then the change initiatives could face significant negative impact. As a change leader, ensure executives are part of the change process and own the outcomes. Change to be added as their key KPIs and strategy. Set up a meeting to share the consequences of their actions and what is expected from them. Assign the responsibility at personal level to achieve the desired outcomes.

Start an open and honest dialogue with the executives about their behavior and its impact on the rest of the organization. Know your concerns and how important it is to lead by example during change. Lead by example yourself and encourage other leaders to do the same. Demonstrating the desired behavior can inspire executives to follow suit and show the rest of the organization the importance of leading through change. By addressing concerns directly and leading by example, you can encourage executives to embody the change they wish to see in the organization, fostering a culture of leadership and resilience during times of change.

When addressing concerns involving an executive, it's crucial to first compile specific instances where the executive's actions—or lack thereof—have not aligned with the objectives of the change initiative. Having concrete examples (situation-behaviour-impact) to highlight any misalignment can facilitate an open discussion about the importance of the necessary behavioral changes needed and the executive's critical role in realizing the desired outcomes of the change.

Change implementation is a specialized skill, and not all stakeholders are skilled in it. - Mobilize executives on the change project and set expectations on the criticality of their participation in the change implementation - Open a recurring communication channels and follow up with the executives - Perform ADKAR assessment with the executives and, based on the assessment outcome, take appropriate action - Support and guide the executive on their participation, such as how they can influence the change in their business units

By addressing senior executives' concerns through building relationships, open dialogue, articulating a compelling vision , clarity, engagement, evidence-based approach/Data Driven insight, support, continuous communication, and strategic alignment, change managers can secure their commitment and support for successful change implementation.

By sharing research with them on the most successful change programs globally and what they all had in common - visible and engaged executive sponsorship. I would come to the meeting prepared with examples and multiple ways for the executive to become a more visible and engaged sponsor so that they could easily say yes to the request and their own understanding of best change practices was also uplifted.

It can undermine the success of change initiatives and negatively impact employee morale and engagement. As a leader, it's important to address this issue promptly and effectively. Start by having open and honest conversations with the executives, expressing your concerns highlighting the importance of their leadership in driving change. Provide specific examples of behaviors or actions that are inconsistent with the desired change and discuss the impact it is having on the organisation. Offer support and resources to help the executives understand the need for change and develop the necessary skills and mindset to lead by example.

Leaders, whether they want to or not, always have a role model function during times of change, especially the change they are sponsoring. However providing feedback to senior leaders in the organisation about this can be tricky. There are a number of things you can do: 1. Ensure they clearly understand their role in visibly leading the change for the organisation and what that looks like in practice. 2. Partner them up with other leaders who are getting it right. 3. Keep them in the loop and informed. 4. Provide feedback using the SBI framework to highlight their behaviour and the impact it's having in a non-judgemental way. (Specific situation, Behaviour you observed, impact it's had on your/the change/others).

It's crucial to address the issue promptly and transparently. First, initiate open dialogue with the executives to understand their perspective and potential barriers to demonstrating desired behaviours. Then, provide clear expectations and support for their role in leading change. Offer coaching/training to help them align their actions with organisational values. For example, if an executive is resistant to adopting new technology, provide personalised training sessions to build their confidence and competence in using the tools effectively. Ultimately, holding leaders accountable for embodying the desired change sets a precedent for the entire organisation to follow suit.

Always remember that positive reinforcement is key for influencing executives. Frame feedback as a "we" conversation, acknowledging their strengths and focusing on how your suggestions can benefit the organization. Specificity is key - use clear examples and data to illustrate your points. Don't just point out problems; present well-defined solutions and ask open-ended questions to encourage collaboration. Actively listen to their perspective and focus on future actions. By building trust and demonstrating a solutions-oriented approach, you can effectively guide them towards positive change.

Leaders, like everyone else in the organisations will need support and your role as a change manager is to clearly articulate the expectations you have, the role they need to play and support them with coaching and skill building. The three typical roles senior leaders who are sponsoring change should be playing are: 1. Actively & visibly championing the change - work with them to define exactly what that could look like. 2. Build a coalition of support with peers & managers - help them identify where that's most needed and define an engagement plan 3. Communicate the change to employees - help them develop a communication plan, key messages and materials they can use.

Effective communication is an essential element in change management. As a change implementer, prepare a communication strategy and plan for your project. Identify and understand communication channels, tools, and local nuances. Foster a culture of continuous feedback and collaboration for a smooth and efficient transition. Encourage executive's active participation and suggestions in change activities as they know their people and processes better.

Start by focusing on their goals and objectives. Lead with the positives, followed by gaps between what is and what should be. Once the gaps are discussed and accepted, bring up what seem to be discrepancies in their behaviors and their objectives then explain how these behaviors can impact gaps identified. Let them dialog and decide if these are relevant and need to be addressed. Once they have bought in to the need for change, facilitate a discussion on how to eliminate the gaps. Be prepared to guide them and even recommend solutions when appropriate.

I do not believe that this is a good suggestion. If a leader acts against a change initiative, inadvertently or purposefully, then this is a signal of a serious shortcoming in how the change initiative has been set up and is being enabled. The shortcoming needs to be properly addressed; it may require additional time investment up-front but will enable the initiative to move more quickly in the longer term. Ignoring them and asking others to step in is not fair to the original executive, to the person stepping in, to the leader of the change initiative, or to anyone: it sends a terrible signal to the rest of the company that it doesn't matter if you don't do what has been agreed, we will just ignore it and get someone else to take over.

Just like any other person, managers are also vulnerable to fatigue, fear, uncertainty, and various other emotions. When faced with these situations, having active followership can prove to be extremely advantageous. Having active followers who are willing to adapt and adjust to changing circumstances is absolutely crucial in the realm of change management. Active followers play a crucial role in supporting the team, motivating their colleagues, and building trust, all of which are vital for effectively implementing change.

Reinforcing values is a step that I believe should come first. There needs to have been a good investment amongst the leadership team in ensuring understanding of why change is needed, what the goals are, and what the anticipated benefits will be ideally to the success of each leader's team. All leaders should have the opportunity to peruse the data and to share concerns and ideas before a change initiative gets going. If they are not invested, the chance of sustainable change occurring is negligible.

To nudge executives towards stronger leadership, consider a multi-pronged approach. Use storytelling - impactful case studies can inspire them to emulate strong leadership behaviours. Upskill them with targeted leadership programs, and consider external coaches for personalized guidance. Finally, gather unfiltered employee feedback through surveys or focus groups.

Explore Reverse Mentoring – where you partner top talent with leaders to make improvements in change management. Try it with a handful of your ‘super stars’ for a six-month period. The leader mentors the employee to guide them on certain goals (e.g. career or development goals). Their advice can help the mentee change their thinking and approach. The mentee can help leaders explore different ways to make an impact in the change process - by sharing real life examples of what’s working vs what’s not. This helps the leader better understand which behaviors are more impactful. Mixing the different generations facilitates inclusion and replaces traditional problem-solving techniques. This type of a partnership can result in a Win/Win outcome.

Effective leadership is crucial during change, but what if your executives need to lead by example? Initiate open and honest conversations with the executives about the importance of leading by example. Share specific examples of how their actions impact the rest of the organization during times of change. If executives are not setting the right example, middle managers and team leaders may need to step up and demonstrate the desired behaviors. While it's ideal for executives to lead by example, sometimes strategy adjustments are necessary. By fostering open communication and encouraging leadership at all levels, you can mitigate the impact of executives needing to lead by example during times of change.

It's always important to understand you stakeholders and their specific needs. The same is true for senior leaders. Just because they can see and buy into the high-level vision for the change, doesn't mean they don't need tailored communication, support or engagement. Conducting a change capability assessment can be a useful way to understand better what's needed to engage and support leaders in the right way. Match their capabilities and talents with appropriate activities and as with any stakeholder group, involve them in the setting of your change strategy.

First, mobilize the executive teams and sponsors. Schedule frequent change assessments with executive team members. Guide and follow-up with executives and align them with the change. In this fast-changing technological market, continuous change has become the norm. To manage continuously changing organizational needs, have a dedicated change management team or a Project Manager integrated with change management responsibilities. Change managers are specialize in Change management. They understand the change nuances and manage the transition professionally.

Present data and metrics that demonstrate the correlation between effective leadership behavior during change and positive organizational outcomes, such as employee engagement, productivity, and financial performance. Use evidence-based arguments to underscore the importance of executive leadership in change management.

When executives aren't setting the example during change, it's crucial to prioritize employee engagement. Start by fostering open communication channels where concerns can be voiced constructively. Encourage leadership to actively listen and address employee feedback transparently, demonstrating commitment to shared goals. Empower teams by showcasing success stories of those embracing change and its positive impact. Additionally, provide opportunities for leadership development focused on change management to equip executives with the tools to lead effectively. By prioritizing engagement and alignment, organizations can navigate change collaboratively, ensuring everyone feels valued and heard.

This is a common and frequent situation. And the root cause is usually that executives have an extremely high amount of pressure already, and implicitly expect the change management team to work the miracle. The most important step which greatly eases the entire change/transformation journey is to set very realistic expectations upfront and do some real world workshops to uncover potential risks and the volume of leadership engagement that will be required at various points on the journey. This will set the right expectation corresponding to the change process itself (e.g. communication, change impact remediation, role modelling, etc.). The outcome of this exercise must be clear leadership buy-in and support.

Crafting change management approaches and solutions that balance the "What's In it for me?" for the individual, the team and the organization is key to reducing friction, minimising resistance and maximizing adoption of change. The best way to do this, in an ideal world, is direct engagement, transparency and vulnerability. If that is not possible, at least incentivising expected behaviours in meaningful ways will help.

I would focus on employee engagement, so change keep moving forward, while leadership change management gaps are addressed. I suggest: Empowering employees to become change agents: Create a communication plan that keeps employees informed and allows them to voice their concerns. Engaged employees can help hold leadership accountable for their behavior. Highlight positive leadership examples: Showcase instances where executives are demonstrating desired change behaviors. This can create a ripple effect and encourage consistency. Gather feedback for Cont Improvement : Solicit feedback from executives and employees to understand how the change management process can be improved. Coach executives based on facts.