5 ways to ensure your leaders are change trailblazers

If your organization is about to introduce a big change, you must get your leaders on board.

After all, employees look to their supervisors to articulate why change is important and explain what will change and when.

Senior leaders have been closely involved in planning a change, yet others—VPs, directors, facility managers, etc.—probably aren’t in the loop. So, they’ll struggle with the role of change champions—providing motivation for their team members—especially when the going gets tough. For leaders to be effective during change, they need a clear path, useful resources and opportunities to learn.

Here are five ways you can help set the course for change:

1. Crush leaders’ fear of the unknown by building their knowledge of the change.

Leaders are just like everyone else, experiencing fear of the unknown with a big scary change. Not knowing all the details—such as when, how and why—can be overwhelming.

Combat fear with knowledge. The more you can educate leaders about the details of the change, the more confidence they will have in sharing it. Here are three ways to build knowledge:

2. Prepare them for the journey, and set clear expectations.