Leadership in change management

by Joseph Otieno
(Kisumu, kenya)

Having accepted the fact that most failures in change management are attributed to inadequate leadership ability, it is important that all engaged in change management be focused to develop the leadership ability required in this present conceptual age.

In my experience at managing change, the main quality required of the top leader is one of vision. To effectively deal with the challenge of balancing the situation and the transition challenges in change management, leadership must have influence over the emotional dimension of change impact.

A visionary leader has to be a mentor and total team player, inspiring all management executives to accept the vision as if it was their own dream. This same success in influence and ownership should be translated downwards through the mission statement, objectives and goals.

When the top leader exudes confidence in the present circumstances and inspires others to own the vision and see the organization in its future projection, the entire team is ready to begin to deal with the organizational informal and emotional side of change dimension. This is how to take control of the scope and pace of change. The leadership and team should now be able to tackle the preliminary task of preparing the organization for change.