Change isn’t for the faint-hearted.
You may be interested in a career in leading organisational change. How do you know if Organisational Change Management (OCM) is for you? Start by knowing your strengths and interests. Now we delve into the qualities and backgrounds underpinning many OCM professionals.
Career profiles leading to change management
In my experience, many change professionals gained previous experience in a variety of business roles — yet each change professional’s experience shared a common theme. This theme? A strong people interaction component, such as communications or training. HR generalists are well-positioned to move into change roles. A background as a Business Analyst or Project Management is a moderately common but still viable pathway into change.
Professionals working in operational roles may put themselves forward as change champions. This volunteer capacity helps you gain experience in leading people through changes. For example, an office relocation is a useful way to gain change experience. Or acting as a local change champion for your team as part of a large system rollout. As a change champion, aim to gain experience drafting and publishing communications for your team(s). Can you act as an ambassador by collating your team’s feedback? Could you train your team in a new way of working? Are you comfortable helping people adjust to change in general? Through these valuable experiences, you can gain a sense of the demands of the OCM role within the safe confines of your existing team.
Certifications and theory?
There is considerable debate on change certifications and frameworks. These may help a new change professional adjust to getting their head around what they need to do. But shadowing a change professional is a good starting point to build confidence. You can efficiently learn change terminology and approaches this way. Change frameworks help you approach a seemingly insurmountable change problem when you start on a project. For example, where do you begin when your remit is to influence the behaviours of thousands of people? A framework helps structure your thinking. Hopefully, the change principles from my book will help you in the same way.
Perhaps after a few years in a change role, a change professional may be on the lookout for new approaches and tools. Working on different size projects in different industries provides learning far beyond certifications. You gain vital exposure to different operating tempos, stakeholder behaviours and change challenges.
Foundational traits and mindsets
Beyond foundational experience, here is a tall order of common traits, qualities and mindsets in change professionals. Yes, I did say this is a tall order. No one is perfect! Yet, the right person and attitude make a significant difference in how well change is led. Even if they are part of a large change team, each change professional could significantly affect the final project outcomes.
A passion for learning. Do you have a track record of learning systems and new ways of working? Can you distil complex system concepts into straightforward overviews? Can you coach stakeholders, leaning on genuine curiosity about their perceived pains and gains? A clear “people-orientation”. You may have learned from an entirely different people-oriented career, e.g. social work, nursing, teaching. Regardless of background, you come across to others as genuine and humble, not glib or self-promoting. Change leaders can comfortably put you in front of a wide variety of stakeholders. Your people orientation means you listen to stakeholders and can gain their trust. You consistently return from stakeholder engagements with actionable feedback.
Can tolerate sustained distress and discomfort. You persevere on a project despite obstacles and ambiguity. You stay level-headed and in good spirits. Even despite difficulty, unfairness, pressure and unclear ways to achieve objectives. You own your areas of accountability rather than defer to others. Can you handle boredom and uncertainty with grace? Or complete tasks with a constructive attitude, even when the task doesn’t play to your strengths?
Trustworthy and loyal to the cause. You may believe you work well independently. Yet, do you work towards goals set for you without continual direction? Do you take the initiative to develop ways to achieve outcomes supporting the mission? Are you biased towards actions and outcomes… or prefer to talk about it mainly? Do you show strength of character and professional maturity? This maturity reflects in constructively working for and with people you may not like. Do you place team interest above personal interest?
Self-aware. Can you reflect on your strengths and weaknesses across the various change deliverables expected of you? Are you self-reflective, accepting constructive feedback during your career? Are you in a change role for external rewards? Or are you seeking an OCM role to meet an intrinsic value?
Constructive mindset. When confronted with difficult project situations, do you appraise the situation as a challenge or a threat? Can you break down difficult problems into components or manage strong emotions?
Emotional intelligence and adaptability. Can you read the motives and moods of others around you? Are you comfortable working with executives? Do you know when to engage and when to retreat and influence others in different ways when appropriate? Do you find meaning and constructive outcomes in varying situations? Do you bring constructive energy and humour to your team, especially when the team’s energy level is low?
Summing up
To me, organisational change management is a heady fusion of head, heart and hands. Or strategy/analytics, stakeholder management and getting change deliverables out the door.
Change Management may be for you if you are a resilient person who enjoys the twists and turns of life on a project. If you are obsessed with helping people through change, try out experiences in leading small changes.
Our book — The Change Manager’s Companion — is available now. You can also check out our online course on Change Management.