By Dominic Siow

As they say, there are only three things that are certain in life – death, taxes and change. Today, a key trait that distinguishes the best managers from the rest is their ability to help their teams traverse workplace changes rapidly in order to take advantages of opportunities rather than to be overwhelmed by change.

It’s not about the change, but how quickly you can get your team to first accept the change, and then drive forward to realise the intended benefits that will determine how effective you are as a manager.

Having contributed as a transformational coach and change agent for the past six years, here are three of my top tips for managing effective change in the workplace:

Tip #1: Communicate early, communicate positively, communicate frequently

One of the things people resent most about change is the “nasty surprise”. As soon as you hear about an impending change, be proactive about gathering your facts about it, understand the compelling reasons for the change, assess the positives and get your team together for a communications session before the rumour mill starts.

Remember that what your team focuses on tends to expand. People with a pessimistic tendency will tend to exaggerate negatives in the absence of fact. This not only distracts the team from important duties but causes unnecessary stress. Read the rest of this entry »