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Pursuant Blog Pics 11.14.14.004

“ If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”

– Gail Sheehy

Change. The mention of the word can elicit emotional responses—some positive, some negative. Yet change is at the core of organizational health. Organizations that survive and thrive do so because they learn how to leverage change for their benefit. Resisting change is a surefire way to accelerate organizational decline.

At the same time, change comes with a set of inherent risks. There are no guarantees that a change will produce the desired results. Leading others through change can be incredibly difficult.

Pursuant has gone through some incredible changes over the past several years. It wasn’t easy. But thankfully, I can say that we are a better organization because of it.

4 Keys to Leading Organizations through Extraordinary Change

As I look back, here are four keys lessons I learned throughout the process when it comes to to leading your organization through extraordinary change:

  • Keep the “why” at the forefront of every decision and interaction. Simon Sinek’s concept of “Start with Why” not only serves as a compass for important decisions, it aligns everyone within the organization behind the bigger purpose rather than simply telling them “what” is going to happen.
  • Lead with the realization that you have to “mature” as a company. I’m a big believer that if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Organizations must embrace the mentality that changing and “maturing” as an organization is necessary if they want to survive.
  • Adopt a philosophy of no regrets. You might make mistakes, but each mistake teaches you a valuable lesson. Your organization wouldn’t be what it is today without the lessons learned through mistakes.
  • Realize that great leaders learn how to do more with less. In times of change, it can feel like the cards are stacked against you. It’s in those times that I’ve learned to lean on the quote, “Anyone can do more with more. Good leaders can do more with the same. But it takes exceptional leaders to do more with less.”

It is one thing to change for the sake of changing; it’s another to guide an organization through extraordinary change. Extraordinary change is measured by the positive outcomes specific changes empower. Though many people view change as debilitating, it can be the one thing that moves your organization toward an amazing future.