"How do I navigate so much change from above?"

And keep my team motivated at the same time

Going from start-up to corporate in such a short space of time, people always ask me:

“Was it a huge shock?”

The answer is yes in every way apart from one: Everything is changing, all the time.

New ideas, new projects, new team members, new markets, new products, new arguments, new managers.

The quote you’ve heard 500 times “The only constant is change” couldn’t be more true when you’re in a management role.

So where does our responsibility as a manager lie? And how do we keep our team motivated with so much change?

Let’s discuss…

In constant changing winds, you have a choice:

1. Get swept away in a different direction each week, dancing around in emotion, drama and office politics (bringing your team along for the bumpy ride).
   
   OR

2. Build solid brick walls. Then when you hear that winds are changing, you nip outside to check - then come back in, dust off your boots, and sit down to relay the information to your team.

For some time I chose number 1

Then I made a choice to be better, and started working on 2

And my responsibility will now always default to fighting for my team (as opposed to pleasing my seniors).

Here’s the process I used when there is lots of change happening (and not much I can do about it).

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Thank you - back to the blog…

1. Go to my seniors

• Get as much clarity as possible first - We don’t want to run to our team every time there is a small change, so if something changes again, we might have been able to keep them out of it.

• Ask as many questions as possible to get the FULL picture.

• Make sure they truly understand how this will impact my team, and try to fight their corner if needed.

2. Be the filter

This bit can feel really un-fair.

It can feel as though you have to bear the burden of the change, yet still put on a brave face.

I know everything inside us wants to send that slack message 'X has changed direction again 🙄’

But here’s where emotional regulation comes in.

It's ok to acknowledge that things are a bit shitty, we don’t want to be fake.

HOWEVER - don't convey the message through your emotions, it needs to come through logic

Emotion would be "Eugh we've had another change again, tried to do something about it but can't, it's so annoying" - You become the creator and attractor of negativity and toxicity.

And you set a standard of it in your team.

A better way:

"Guys, we've had another change in focus from above, and although it feels like we're going back and forth, and I don't want to tell you it's all sunshine and rainbows, but it is clear to me why we've changed direction, and I've spent some time understanding the changes, and I want to bring you in on it now"

3. Be a regular beacon of clear direction

Once you've tried to push back, been made clear on the direction and communicated it - you need to keep your team focussed on it all the time…

• In 1-on-1s centre updates around the organizational goals

• Ask questions like "How are you getting on working towards X"

• In meetings: "Just to remind everyone of the goal for 2025 is X, so let's talk about how we're moving towards it"

The clearer, more reliable and more consistent you can be with the organisational messaging, the better.

“But how can I keep them motivated?”

The way people feel empowered and motivated in any situation is when they feel they have freedom and choice.

So you need to try instilling them with as much choice and ownership over the changes as possible.

I know this can feel tricky, but there is usually always a way. Let’s go through a couple of common situations:

Scenario 1
Seniors decide: ‘everyone now has to come into the office 3 days a week’
You have tried but you can’t change it.
But can you:

• Give them flexibility over days?

• Give them the freedom to chose the hours they work? i.e 7-3 instead of 9-5 if that’s better?

• Make WFH days feel free-er by declaring them ‘meeting free’ days?

Scenario 2
Seniors decide to do a hiring freeze, but your team desperately needs more resoucre and your team are over-worked.
You can’t hire, but can you:

• Review the meeting schedules in the team, cut them down by 50% to free up workload?

• Review workload across the board and ditch some tasks?

• Ask seniors what jobs can be removed from your team since they are no longer hiring?

There is always a way to give your team more freedom and ownership over decisions, even when we feel as though everything is happening TO us with little control.

We sometimes just have to look really closely for the answers.

Peace,

H

P.S. Comment and let me know - What are your greatest struggles in your leadership role right now? I always love to use these blogs as an opportunity to deep dive into your real struggles.