Diversity in Wholesale: How are you leading through change?
Missed the latest Diversity in Wholesale breakfast briefing on embracing organisational change? Fear not. Clare Bocking, Chair of Women in Wholesale, shares why being a chameleon when leading through change is so beneficial
In addition to leading our Diversity in Wholesale breakfast briefing, I also recently ran a Leading through Change workshop for the board of a global artificial intelligence organisation. As a veteran of our UK FMCG industry, I was struck by three key observations:
- Pioneering industries are just as challenged by change as more traditional industries
- Our ‘leading through change’ challenges are almost identical, regardless of country or industry
- Our specific industry is impressive in how we invest and support individuals and teams through change.
CHALLENGE
In both workshops, I shared why change can be a challenge to us all at a primal human level (while I think about it, there is a great deal of content overlap here with the fantastic Women in Wholesale breakfast briefing delivered by Trina Schofield on Tame your Animal Brain earlier this year).
We covered the critical role of a leader and more specifically, the leadership requirements and qualities that are essential to effectively navigate through a changing environment, enabling an individual, team or business to thrive.
BE YOURSELF
We all know the importance of emotions and how they drive behaviour, but it’s also clear that the culture and behaviour of a team or business can either accelerate or de-rail momentum through the change curve.
Throughout both workshops on change, what emerged as a priority for individuals and leaders was the ability to intuitively recognise, understand and positively deal with negative emotions.
Embracing organisational change requires you to be authentically and consistently yourself, while at the same time accepting and flexing to change, with the skills of a chameleon.
CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
We discussed the need for a compelling vision and brilliant communication, plus how important prioritising your own support and development was, both as an individual and as a leader.
We concluded that change is organic and inevitable, and that learning how to thrive and enjoy operating in a change environment is now an essential everyday skill that we need to practise and improve.
As well as being chair of Women in Wholesale, Clare Bocking is also director of Immediate Impact Ltd.
DIVERSITY IN WHOLESALE BREAKFAST BRIEFINGS…
… are one-hour morning briefing sessions on specialist topics to help members stay connected and mentally motivated.
To register, visit fwd.co.uk/diw/
change Clare Bocking diversity Diversity in Wholesale leadership Women in Wholesale workshop
