3 Essential Qualities for a Change Leader

How do you successfully lead change?  To effectively compete today, you must continuously innovate or play a relentless game of catch-up with the changes happening all around you.  More change demands more change leadership.

Here are three essential qualities for outstanding change leadership:

1. Authenticity – demonstrate consistent character rooted in values. You must be an exemplar and not only talk about the change, you must authentically demonstrate the change. Actions speak louder than words.
    
2. Courage – change is not easy or everyone would do it well! There are times when you must be courageous and make difficult decisions in the face of crushing circumstances or exasperated employees. Courage is the willingness to act despite fear.
    
3. Willingness to Act – leaders integrate who they are, what they believe and everything they know how to do to provide purpose, direction, and motivation leading to action. You cannot lead from a standing position; you must be willing to make the first move. Another way to think about this is a bias for action.

Leading change is not for the faint of heart. Know who you are, be courageous and have a bias towards action.