By Ingrid Vaughan

If there’s one thing you can be certain of in running a small business, it’s that things are constantly going to change. The way you did business a year, or even six months ago, has almost certainly changed. The economy has changed. Your customers change. Your staff changes. Your products change to match consumer demands, and your services change to adapt to customer needs and expectations. In business, change is a constant. Sometimes your business sees change in small incremental ripples that are within your control. And sometimes, change comes as a huge tidal wave completely beyond your control, knocking everyone off their feet. As a business owner, you provide leadership for how your company will weather both the expected and unexpected changes that will come your way. Manage that change effectively and you and your team will weather the storms. Here are some leadership strategies for managing change well.

Cautious Confidence
Your team needs to see a leader who demonstrates a cautious confidence. Show them you are making decisions based on facts and experience; that your risks are calculated. If they trust you to consider all the implications of the change, including their best interests, they will be willing to follow you with confidence. This also means expecting that you’ll make mistakes, and taking responsibility for them rather than beating yourself up or feeling sorry for yourself. People expect that you’ll make mistakes from time to time. How you handle those mistakes determines how they will handle your (and their own) mistakes.

Optimism
Business owners who buy into the doom and gloom of economic challenges tend to suffer greater losses than those who accept the realities, but choose to look at them as opportunities. Those kinds of leaders tend to survive and even grow in spite of the challenges they face in the economy or their industry. Optimism is one of a leader’s most powerful traits. It inspires hope in your staff and confidence that you can lead them through whatever comes along. Optimism does not mean pie-in-the-sky, ‘ignore the reality’ thinking.   It means making a proper assessment of the situation and making positive choices that move you forward in your business.

Strong Communication Skills
Being able to communicate what is going on will help to alleviate fear and mistrust in your team. Communication is your best tool for navigating change effectively. Knowledge really is power, and when people are informed they can handle almost anything. Communicating well with your team about what’s going on in your business will take you a long way toward effective change management.

Truthfulness
If your team is confident that you will always tell them the truth – even if the news is bad – they will be loyal and follow your lead. If they feel you are keeping information from them, or worse – lying to them – they will be confused, insecure, and do irrational things out of fear. Saying untrue things to make them feel better or to calm them down will only backfire in the end. People who trust you will follow you anywhere and through anything. Break that trust, and it is almost impossible to win back.

Calm Under Pressure
Nothing creates more fear than a leader who can’t keep his or her cool. If people see you panic, their automatic response is to panic on a larger scale. Maintaining a calm presence no matter what, creates confidence for your team. If they see you weathering the difficulties with confidence, they are likely to follow your lead and maintain their own sense of calm. If they see you snapping at people, emotions out of control, they will follow suit and you’ll find yourself in an emotionally volatile work environment. Do whatever it takes for you to keep an even keel in front of your team. Take out your fears and frustrations at the gym, or the golf course, or at your yoga class – but while in the lead, demonstrate calm confidence.

Inclusiveness
While you are ultimately responsible for the decisions you make for your business, being inclusive will create a greater sense of confidence in your team. Get them involved in what’s going on and what changes are coming. Ask for their input on decisions you are making. Create an environment where ideas are always welcome, and feedback is valued. Being valued for their contribution is second highest on the list of job satisfaction indicators for most employees. Including your team in the changes your business faces may give you some fantastic ideas and interesting perspectives you may not have thought about on your own. It will also mean those team members will buy in to the changes you make to a much higher degree than if you come up with them yourself and mandate the changes.

Most people are fearful of and dislike change, but it is inevitable. As the great Sam Cooke sang, “I know a change gonna come! Yes it will.” In these challenging and ever-changing economic times, demonstrate excellent change leadership skills and you and your team will navigate those changes well, and as a result, your business will be one of those that stands out above the rest.

Ingrid lives and works in Victoria BC as a Human Resource Generalist. She is the author of I’m A Circle, You’re a Square, a book about increasing the effectiveness of workplace communication. In addition to her HR generalist skills, Ingrid has experience as a small business coach, employment counsellor, business writer and corporate trainer. She is currently the Human Resource Specialist for the BC Construction Association, Skilled Trades Employment Program.