According to Isaac Newton, momentum possesses magnitude as well as direction. Moreover, momentum will continue forward until another force changes its course. In climate change or business, that force could be a change of leadership.
New leadership can change everything about a company, from overarching goals to daily operations. A little disruption can be a good thing, adding to rather than limiting momentum, even if it does change course. Still, if a company is cruising straight ahead, you may wonder why it’s necessary to rock the boat.
A change in leadership can be an opportunity to propel a company toward greater success. What you don’t want to encounter are obstacles. Here’s how you can sustain company momentum even when leadership changes hands.
Open the Lines of Communication
Changes in company leadership are disconcerting for everyone from the top down. Even if rank-and-file employees weren’t enamored with the leadership before, it was at least a known commodity. Change, no matter where it occurs, is unsettling.
The best antidote for anxiety caused by change is honest and open two-way communication. In addition to inviting employee input, new leaders must talk to employees about their vision for the company. Doing this effectively will involve top-down strategy alignment.
Strategy alignment requires that leaders engage employees in conversations about the direction and priorities of the company under their watch. Employees need to know and understand those goals and how what they do contributes toward achieving them. If they don’t, momentum will slow if not stop all together.
It’s important that everyone understand their day-to-day roles and responsibilities. But they also need to see where those fit into the larger scheme of things. When the big picture changes, they’ll keep the ball moving as long as they can see the end zone clearly.
Go Beyond Onboarding New Leaders
The definition of “onboarding” differs from company to company. Perhaps it’s no more than signing the human resources paperwork and setting up a new user account for the computer network. For other companies, there are meet and greets, mentor assignments, and routine check-ins for months.
But no one needs to grasp the intricacies of the corporate culture, team dynamics, and internal politics more than leaders. Yet they are often either left to figure those out on their own or given the perspective of only one or two people. Either can delay their ability to truly lead for months — or worse, lead to resignations before they even begin.
New leaders need to develop insights into key stakeholders without having them colored by people who surround them most closely. For example, they should spend time reading HR files of the members of their leadership and management teams. Then they can ask relevant questions and form their own opinions.
The goal is to find ways for incoming leaders to gain the information they need in order to assimilate quickly. With the right intel, they won’t be the force that slows momentum. Rather, they will pick up the ball and run with it.
Ensure Smooth Handoffs Between Champions
One of the inevitable costs of changes in leadership is the loss of champions of certain projects or initiatives. If your company was in full swing, driving toward completing goals, you could lose that momentum. Champions rarely just appear. They’re developed.
Consider a top-performing team in the company that comes up with innovative solutions to overcome obstacles. If the leader championing that team moves on, the team may stumble. Team members may feel undervalued, powerless, and stifled without their voice.
When companies change one leader, it often causes other leadership alterations as well. You need to anticipate where those changes may occur and make sure there’s a smooth transition from one champion to another. This may involve giving a team member more responsibility to provide some consistency during a transition.
Of course, new leaders may shift how teams do their work and which priorities they focus on. So long as there’s no abrupt halt in what they’re doing when change occurs, good teams will adapt. They just need to know that someone with a voice always has their backs.
Preserve the Company Culture
Companies are established to achieve a specific mission and vision. A company’s culture is shaped by the mission and vision and supports the achievement of them. If the current culture is driving the company toward achieving its goals, new leaders need to preserve it.
Leaders come and go, and a healthy company culture shouldn’t be beholden to those individuals. Instead, it should be embodied by every stakeholder. It’s the one constant when other things are being altered, which is how stakeholders can weather change without losing momentum.
Culture comprises shared viewpoints, values, and beliefs. And new leaders of successful companies need to embrace the established culture. It is the one component that, from the outset, they’ll have in common with everyone in the company.
Aspects of culture can certainly change under new leadership, but not overnight and not by mandate. Any change must happen gradually and organically, bringing everyone along with it.
Keep the Momentum Going
Leaders new to a company that’s already moving in the right direction should take advantage of the existing momentum. Once they understand the elements that are making the company successful, they can determine what does and doesn’t need disrupting. That way, they’ll be a force for good and not an obstruction to success.
