Change in our work lives can make us feel super uneasy. Maybe your job role changes. You wonder why it’s changing or what the expectations even are.
Or maybe your employer’s mission shifts. You’re not sure why it's shifting or what the future holds.
Changes at work are inevitable, but that doesn’t make them any easier on your team.
I’ll be honest. When I decided to shift the focus of my brand from personal development to business development and corporate consulting, I was super worried about how my employees were going to respond. I knew I needed to find a way to help them overcome any fears they had and see the changes as opportunities.
These are the steps that helped my team through our brand change: set a clear vision, develop a strategy and execute it, and measure results.
You’ll notice that in each of these steps there is a focus on collaboration. I was initially nervous about how the team was going to react to the brand change, but their buy-in was great! They said they appreciated the open communication, and they were excited to help develop the strategy for the new brand.
Change is hardly ever easy, but it’s important for business. The truth is, you can make those changes way easier for your team.
Try these steps and see what a difference it makes!
1. Set a clear vision
Have total clarity on where you want your company to go.
To help communicate my vision to my employees, I outlined what the brand was going to focus on and what it wasn't going to focus on going forward. We also created new guidelines for how we would spend time on our new focus.
2. Develop a strategy and execute it
Have a plan for how you’re going to achieve your vision.
For instance, part of our strategy at Mary Shores was to start building a client base by booking certain speaking events and getting in front of audiences. We specified what each employee was responsible for and how he or she could get it done.
3. Measure results
Don’t forget to track your progress!
Some of the things we measure at my brand are the number of events we pitch and client connection calls we make. We can use these numbers to estimate if we’re on track to meet our goals. A nice bonus is that it helps us stay motivated!
This is the process that helped us stay on track, boost team morale, and be confident in the new tasks we were doing. It made the changes less scary, and it gave my team the safety net they needed to move forward.
Have you ever been an employee at an organization that underwent massive changes? I know it can be super stressful. You probably feel like you're thrown into a tailspin and don't know which direction is up. When you were able to get your footing back, what helped you through? I’d love to hear your stories!