Leadership in these times

Graphic of roads criss-crossing and directional signs pointing in wild directions.The vast majority of change management and change leadership thinking and teaching are about internal change. Planned change, strategic change, culture change, and so on.

But what we’re experiencing more and more often these days is unexpected external change, the pandemic being just one example. Technology change, political change, economic change – it all blindsides us from outside, and is distressing and disruptive to at least some, if not all, of us.

For many people, the U.S. presidential election results fall into that latter category: distressing and disruptive, and, frankly, with good reason. I won’t go into all the questions that arise about what we stand for as a nation, why roughly a third of registered voters chose not to vote, and why slightly more than half of those who did vote, voted as they did.

Here’s the thing: change management can’t help us with that type of change, or at least, it can’t help us in the early stages. Change management is plans and timelines and tasks, which are irrelevant when we’ve been blindsided by an external change. Perhaps as things begin to unfold and the dust begins to settle, we can start putting plans into place, start undertaking tasks to mitigate the risks.

But in the beginning, what we need is change leadership. Leadership to help us understand the tools of care and empathy and conversation.

You have people in your life who are confused, distraught, hurt, angry – all the things. You may be confused, distraught, hurt, angry – all the things.

Whatever you personally believe about what’s happening, you also have an opportunity – a responsibility – to step into a leadership space, to allow the people around you – whether on your team, in your community, in your family – to have their experience and to do your best to understand their perspective.

That said, you may be seeing social media posts suggesting that we should “agree to disagree.” As many responses point out, yes, we can “agree to disagree” about whether we like cilantro, chocolate, or rap music. But when it comes to a question of aggressive, violent, gaslighting, or disrespectful behavior, then, very simply, tolerance is not an option. There is no “agree to disagree” about that sort of behavior.

Which means that sometimes we need to step away from relationships that are, by that definition, intolerable, whether online, in community, in family.

In a work environment, it’s more difficult. But again, as a leader, whatever your personal position may be, you have the responsibility to mitigate harm; you have the responsibility to not allow behavior that harms others.


This is why I say that change leadership is a LIFE skill, not just a professional skill. Curious? Here’s my contact form. Let’s talk.