Telling It Like It Is
A challenge that leaders often face during change initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring is balancing the desire for open communication with protecting confidential information that cannot be broadly shared. Share your insights on the two questions belowbased on the course materials, as well as your own professional experience:

How do you lead others to embrace and support change when rumors are flying and there is a potential for job losses or other negative outcomes?
Role Model Management is a theme that has surfaced several times in our course. It is a foundation of Jack’s canon of leadership. What can we, as change leaders, leverage from this principle to build trust during times of disruptive change?

Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.”‹

1st response

Professor and everyone,
This would be how to help employees embrace change:

With every change,explain the “why”-value transparency

use employee feedback as springboard for change
use your emotional intelligence
moldyour company culture by rewarding acceptance
connect employees with a deeper sense of purpose – don’t make it all about the bottom line
overcome resistance to change by emphasizing what willremain unchanged

As a leader we need to analyze a plan that will help our employees through all situations that may occur.

Hire the right people.
Get to know each other virtually.
Set clear goals and objectives.
Embrace transparency.
Keep the lines of communication open.
Offer thoughtful feedback.
Givetrustfrom the get-go.

These are a few ideas that could possibly help the employees embrace the change.

2nd response

Hello classmates and Professor! I hope all are doing well.
Q1)How do you lead others to embrace and support change when rumors are flying and there is a potential for job losses or other negative outcomes?
A1) We actually had to deal with something like this when my fiancéesbusiness first started up. People at truck stops were telling our drivers that our company will not last long and that they need to find a new company to work for because no one heard of us and we will not get loads. When drivers told me this, I literally told the drivers, they have nothing to worry about. It is like any other industry out there, people are going to talk because they have not heard of us and we are new trying to make a name for ourselves. That would be like you owning a A&W Root Beerand Arby’spops up right next to us, everyone says the same thing. It happens in all types of industries. We have proved to people we are not going anywhere and here we are six years strong and running. Our company is now sitting at 975 customers and growing daily.
Q2) Role Model Management is a theme that has surfaced several times in our course. It is a foundation of Jack’s canon of leadership. What can we, as change leaders, leverage from this principle to build trust during times of disruptive change?
A2) Whether it is indoor, outdoor, on the field or off the field, we have to use the 7c’sof Trust all of the time. We have to use: 1) Character, 2) Capability, 3) Commitment, 4) Capacity, 5) Connection, 6) Commonality, and 7) Consistency. Without using these, we will never be able to show or gain trust from anyone, no matter what the situation is. When it comes to disruptive change, we have to be able to tackle issues big or small, we have to find solutions, make a plan of attack and then we have to deliver the results. Being a leader, we have to always think two steps ahead of everyone else, not just our teammates.
References:
1) Week 8 lecture Notes
2) Lessons to learn [Interview with E. Johnson]. (n.d.). InLessons to learn. Green Bay, WI.