Does successful Change require a Change in Leadership? England would say it does!
Over the past 4 weeks my colleagues and I have delved into some questions around Change Management; What it means? Why it fails? How can we increase the success of change? There was a great deal of interaction from these articles and many good insights from seasoned professionals and “experts”.
A consensus across the board is that Change is understood but Change Leadership sometimes neglected and only considered when the “faeces hit a spinning object”. Gareth Southgate who no one can deny has taken over the England Manager’s role in a time or turmoil and disappointment has done what no one since Sir Bobby Robson achieved in Italia 90. Yet he was by no means the first choice or even the second for that matter. However, since then Gareth has set out his vision, he believes in this vision and has stuck to this vision even under scrutiny. What’s more he has communicated it to the players, the press and England as a country.
"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion." -Theodore Hesburgh, President of the University of Notre Dame.
Gareth has also brought in his own staff that believe in his vision and are able to implement it throughout the squad. He has hired the best talent for the job at hand who provide a fresh set of eyes and a new approach to the role.
He has quickly built solid relationships through all the levels of the team and whether it is a conscious choice or not he has influenced players to become his change champions and take on his vision as there own to further embed it, look at Harry Kane for example.
It seems clear that in some circumstances new leadership is needed for large change to be successful but not all change is at a cultural level. Indeed, there are also other alternatives such as “reverse mentoring” which allows the more senior executives to learn and absorb fresh ideas from the younger generation who perhaps have a different skill set and way of thinking to the “staple”.
When looking at change at smaller scale then;
Is the use of interim(s), consultant and/or contractors a good way to bring in new ideas, embed change with a passion for delivery without the weight of preconcerted opinions, unconscious bias and politics interfering?