Profile of a Successful Change Leader: Top 4 Attributes

The Profile of a Successful Change Leader
What does it take to lead organizational change successfully?  With the relentless disruption organizations face today, leaders cannot rely on traditional approaches alone. Change management consulting experts emphasize that the profile of a successful change leader must combine strategic insight with agility, emotional intelligence, and the ability to act decisively.

Understanding the core competencies required to guide change is essential for any leader striving to drive meaningful and lasting transformation. But what exactly defines the profile of a successful change leader?

The 4 Top Attributes that Make Up a Profile of a Successful Organizational Change Leader

Backed by data from our change management simulation, we believe that successful change leaders need to be exceptionally good at four things:

1. Actively Involving and Communicating
   The best change leaders are able to clearly express a motivating purpose and meaningful rationale for change.  They are able to create a clear, compelling argument for why the change is necessary and develop a worthwhile change vision for success.

   They know that they need to actively involve and engage all levels of the organization in the effort:  first by presenting the case for change, then by encouraging working sessions with candid conversations, concerns and ideas from the workforce, and finally by garnering support and buy-in.

2. Designing the How
   The best change leaders are expert strategists. Once they have identified goals and accountabilities, they set about planning how to achieve it.  They know how to develop an implementable road map for success that includes time lines, provides resources, defines priorities, details behaviors, and assigns tasks and metrics.

   They also go out of their way to actively include employees at all levels in the plan to ensure that the employees believe the change is achievable and worthwhile.

3. Bridging the Gaps
   Successful leaders know how to bring key stakeholders together. When a strategy has been agreed upon, they do not tolerate anything but a concerted and cooperative effort to implement it.  They understand that collaboration is achieved through clarity, transparency, and the appropriate celebration of steps made in the right direction.
4. Learning Along the Way
   Change management training research points out that the best change leaders have a healthy dose of humility. They are good listeners because they know they don’t have all the answers.  They regularly meet with those in charge of executing the change to learn about what is working and what is not.

   Then they make necessary tweaks to keep the “train on the track.”  They don’t fear or avoid challenges; instead, they welcome constructive debate as an opportunity to consider alternative approaches and encourage people to learn better ways.

The Bottom Line
Many businesses and leaders have faltered for lack of the ability to quickly adapt to change — Blockbuster, Kodak, and Webvan are just three examples.  Don’t let this happen to your organization.  Be sure you have leaders with the capability to recognize when change is needed and the skills to lead others through change successfully.

To learn more about what goes into the profile of a successful change leader, download the 5 Ways for Leaders to Consider Change – Backed by Research

Tristam Brown

Tristam Brown is a seasoned business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.