All too often I encounter people at the top who signed the implementation contract or decided on the change and think they have done all that is necessary for the change to happen. They haven’t.  The link between human behavior and organization success is huge.  Our resistance to change requires that much be done to help us move in a different direction and act in a different way.

In the research about “change or die” and people’s response to knowing they will die if they don’t change a bad health habit…9 out of 10 times, people WILL NOT CHANGE.  The odds are 90% AGAINST their changing!   Given those odds against success in a life or death decision why should they change their work process, or their approach to team-work and collaboration, or use the new software just on your say-so?  The reality is… they won’t.

There are many models on the management of change and in them leadership is a critical component of success.  But Leadership isn’t about your title, or even your position; it’s about your willingness to influence, to show by example and to listen to your people.  Joel Ziff, a motivational speaker says, “you are a leader if someone is behind you.”  Leadership is found at many levels in any organization:  some are visible on the organization chart and some very important peer leaders are in the background, providing information and context to people whom you need to engage and lead.

Ultimately, people look for leadership to be demonstrated and gravitate towards that demonstration.  If you want to make a change engage those peer opinion leaders by giving them the right information in an open and transparent way. Begin by talking to the entire organization about the change, articulating what is changing and why.  Do that loudly, often and publicly.  Hold people accountable to meet your clearly stated goals and expectations.  Measure and talk about progress – all of it!  Not just the successes along the way but the miss-steps and failures.

Please know that driving change with leadership alone will not succeed.  But even if you do everything a change model directs in support of change and you don’t provide leadership – the change will merely die.

           “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”                                                                                                               John Maxwell