as easy as... mapping direction

Most change efforts seem to demand speed. But momentum without stability is really just a wobble. So, how can you avoid unpredictable and chaotic movement when you are working towards the promised future of your change? You can map direction.

As I shared in the last issue, direction is one priority area, or requirement, for any leader putting their energy into creating something new. Today, I want to discuss this in more detail, explaining why direction is a priority during change, how to map it clearly and effectively, and the competencies that support your success.

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I often find it helpful to think in steps or a sequence. When considering the effort that goes into creating effective and lasting change, this starts with a simple question:

What does the change need if it’s going to work?

It needs an idea—a vision for a different future. But change also needs a solid base to build on. Change needs a careful blend of innovation and stability. This leads me to the next question in this sequence:

How can we make innovation and stability a reality?

Leaders can do this by balancing these complementary needs with intention and lots of communication. Again, innovation starts with an idea about how things can be different. By articulating this idea, you cast a vision for a new destination. When you communicate it to your team, you are telling them where you’re headed together. This is the start of creating trust with your team. Change brings so much uncertainty, so you need to find practical ways to reassure them, and talking about how you will all make the change happen gives people two valuable benefits. First, it helps them see themselves in the future you’ve envisioned. Second, it provides clear expectations, something for the team to hold onto in the face of confusion.

You bring innovation and stability to life by consistently communicating two core messages: Where we’re going and how we will get there. That’s Direction.

Direction = Vision in the form of a shared destination + Trust grown from clear expectations

Applying your energy to Direction ensures you are starting from a place of stability that will support the innovation you hope to achieve. It provides steady momentum and is the first step to reach the threshold for change. If we need a shared destination and clear expectations to reach this stage, then it follows that leaders need to articulate those expectations.

This is how you apply your energy to mapping direction: articulating and communicating the fundamentals (who, when, how, what, and where).  Another way to think of these is as the actions and mindsets your team will need during and after the change effort.

Communication, policies, procedures, and resources govern our actions and mindsets—all the more so during change. So, your job is to create a list of clear and relevant actions and mindsets for your team that addresses how you will all handle these. It’s not all about what changes, though. You can also provide stability when you are clear about what doesn't change—the things you will carry with you from the current state into the future.

Use this simple matrix to clarify what’s changing—and what stays the same (the actions and mindsets will be key to successful change). For example, list the policies that are impacted by the change and categorize them as ones that will be retired (cast off) or you will continue to use (carry with). Additionally, you will need to reflect on what policies are missing that will support the future state, ones that you will need to create.

	Policies	Procedures	Resources	Mindsets
Cast Off
Carry With
Create

You can build out this matrix on your own, but it will be even more powerful to involve your team. Make it part of the ongoing dialogue about the change as a way to point to the destination and keep expectations continually in focus. (Download a copy of the matrix here.)

Mapping Direction - Matrix.pdf

Download PDF • 30KB

In addition to this tool, I want to share a handful of competencies that I’ve identified. There are six in total for the concept of “reaching the boiling point,” and I’ll start with these three.

• Professional Savvy

• Critical Thinking

• Influence through Relationships.

You’ll find descriptions of each at the end of this article. Please review them and ask yourself where you excel and where you might need to work to grow your competence. Also, consider how you can apply each competency to a current change initiative.

If you’d like support in applying these competencies to a change you’re leading, I’d love to help—let’s talk.

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Supporting Competencies

Professional Savvy

• Scans the external environment for trends and opportunities

• Continually assesses the organization’s structure and performance with an eye to improvements

• Understands the business and how to optimize operations

Critical Thinking

• Is actively curious and open to new ideas and points of view

• Approaches situations, problems, and ideas with objectivity

• Easily and accurately imagines multiple outcomes and discerns the best course of action

Influence through Relationships

• Maintains interpersonal relationships with approachability, persuasiveness, and candor

• Understands and communicates the interconnectedness of individual goals and organizational needs

• Avoids manipulative behaviors and focuses on shared success