Embracing Change

The single most important role of leadership is determining the future direction of your organization.

In such capacity, your responsibility as a leader demands that you properly align organizational structures, people and processes. The ever present challenge that most often impedes this essential leadership function is the lack of clarity about the leadership skills that are required to actually effect organizational alignment.

There is a very distinct difference in the leadership skills that are necessary to develop a sound strategic plan for the organization and those which are required to actually build organizational culture and manage change.

As market conditions, economic conditions and trends change… The functionality and direction of your organization remains in a constant state of flux. Resultantly, the objectives and goals of your organization will as well constantly be evolving.

In that the wants and needs of citizens, businesses, vacationers and consumers are constantly changing, it is incumbent upon your organization to be positioned to respond appropriately. This continual change will ultimately impact your organization’s functionality, direction and organizational alignment.

When leadership is immersed in the day to day operational challenges of the organization, it becomes every so easy to fall behind the curve of change. There are countless numbers of organizations that were once well regarded household names that are no longer part of the business landscape because the failed to keep abreast of change.

Regardless of what is happening inside of your organization on a day to day basis, whether at the end of next quarter or the end of next year -- Your leadership and the organization are going to wind up “somewhere”.

Your organization’s leadership needs to comprehend that the organization is not only traversing market conditions, it is also traveling in time. Consider this concept from the following perspective… Your organization has places that it wants to go in the future.

For example, business organizations want to go to a place where they have increased sales, lower operating costs, new markets, better workers, new products and better equipment.

In like fashion, municipal organizations want to go to a place where they have more visitors, more diversity of attractions, activities and entertainment, lower crime rates, better public safety, better ratings and rankings, a cleaner more attractive city and more convention business.

All of these places that organizations want to go can readily be viewed as goals and objectives. They can also be viewed as critical components of the organization’s mission and vision.

Your organization’s ability to successfully reach these future destinations is entirely dependent on your leadership preparedness to embrace change and maintain proper organizational alignment.

The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people work, perform and live.

Copyright © 2013 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.