How to Build Trust and Lead Your Team Through Change

Change can be complicated, yet change is also a constant. Effective leadership through change isn't just tied to a specific event but is something leaders need to deal with on a daily basis. Your ability to lead effectively through significant changes is directly related to how you guide a team through the day-to-day changes.

As a supply chain consultant, I've led teams through many changes. It requires you to have a high degree of emotional intelligence (EQ), and for many (myself included), this is a learned trait. If you desire to be an effective change leader, realize it takes work and a lot of personal reflection and growth.

Success in Leading Change

Being successful in leading change all comes down to trust. Ask yourself these questions to help identify any areas of potential resistance to significant change and how you can improve communication and trust within your organization to facilitate ease in growth-related changes.

Does your team trust you? 

Do they trust you have a plan?

Do they trust you care about their welfare? 

Do they trust you have their best interests in mind, or are you only pursuing your best interests?

Steps to Promote Positive Change

What are some concrete steps you can take with your team?

Communicate:

- Have a plan and stick to it. Telling people big changes are coming and to just wait for more details is one sure way to have your people start updating their resumes. Significant changes require a lot of work. If you don't have a real strategy, wait to make changes until you have a concrete plan.

- Communicate often and honestly. It's OK if you don't have all the answers, but telling people about the plan is essential to maintaining trust. Even small, everyday changes should be communicated and understood by the team. Be honest about what you can and can't share for changes and what the team can expect.

Give a reason to believe:

- This goes hand in hand with communication. Why will things be better tomorrow for your team? What’s the vision?

- Engage your team to have them feel part of the process. Even when I’ve been involved with large, corporate strategies and significant supply chain changes, there were elements team members could engage in. Engagement is what will determine success or failure of your grand plan.

Balance consensus building with proving direction:

- People want to be heard. Your team needs to feel as if they have a voice and are involved in the change process. You need to balance soliciting input with over-sharing. Embrace your leadership and know that your resilience must outweigh daily challenges.

- You need to be the leader. Listen to input, but at the end of the day, own the decisions. I firmly believe that accountability starts at the top. If you only seek consensus, then nothing will ever get done. If you don't build any consensus, your team won't be accepting of the change.

Be a real person:

- Being an effective leader doesn't mean being a robot or ruling from the corner office. Take time to address the team's concerns, and don't just pay lip service. Take the time to show the team that their worth is more than what they can do for you.

- Be mindful of the fact that these changes will impact people's lives. It may be as large as losing a job or as seemingly as small as doing part of their job differently, but there will be change. You are disrupting people's security and stability in some way, and that can be frightening for many.

• Being an effective leader doesn’t mean being a robot or ruling from the corner office. Take time to address the concerns of the team and don’t just play lip service. Take the time to show the team that their worth to you is more than what they can do for you.
• Be mindful of the fact that people’s lives will be impacted by these changes. It may be as large as losing a job or as seemingly as small as doing part of their job differently but there will be change. You are disrupting people’s security and stability in some way and that can be frightening for many.
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• Being an effective leader doesn't mean being a robot or ruling from the corner office. Take time to address the team's concerns, and don't just pay lip service. Take the time to show the team that their worth is more than what they can do for you.
• Be mindful of the fact that these changes will impact people's lives. It may be as large as losing a job or as seemingly as small as doing part of their job differently, but there will be change. You are disrupting people's security and stability in some way, and that can be frightening for many.Related Read: Know your Metrics, Know your Business

Without change, we cannot improve and adapt, but unfortunately, not all change is successful. Even the best-laid plans fall apart if not executed properly. Your leadership style will help determine the outcome. Change is an inevitable and normal part of growth and success in organizations and supply chain processes. Embracing change, guiding your team through it, and ensuring effective execution are key factors in achieving the desired outcomes. As a leader, recognizing the necessity of change and steering your team through it with confidence and adaptability is critical for not just survival but flourishing in an ever-evolving business landscape.

If you find navigating change challenging or are seeking to achieve supply chain success, the experienced consultants at Waypost Advisors are ready to guide you. Contact our team today. 

Waypost Advisors is an end-to-end supply chain and resourcing solution. We offer expertise in procurement, inventory, project management, planning, transportation & warehousing to fit the needs of your B2B manufacturing or distribution company. Our advisors can provide you with the resources and expertise to tackle your supply chain challenges while allowing you to still focus on running your business.