By: Alan Scholnick and Steven Stave, AFFEXCO Global USA Coaches
Circular Philadelphia has established an exciting partnership with AFFEXCO Global—an international team of coaches that work with start-ups, small and midsize enterprises, and larger businesses worldwide to become stronger and more attractive for investors while supporting them towards more sustainable performance. Below is Affexco’s vision for managing change while growing your circular business. This article is in preparation for an in person seminar that Affexco will host for Circular Philadelphia members in fall of 2023. Stay tuned for more information on that event, but for now, please enjoy this insightful and impactful commentary on change and leadership.
As we move from a linear to a circular economy, the shape of business is changing. As with any change, how the process is managed is the key to its success.
With change comes fear, and with fear comes resistance. When leaders understand where the fear and resistance stem from, they can help their teams to not only accept the change but also embrace it.
With these new insights, leaders will understand how and why employees may react during the change process. This allows leaders to respond in an informed and assuring manner, opening the door to a successful transition through the change.
Great leadership brings about great change. Great leadership is inspiring, empathetic, skillful, and informed. Great leaders share information regarding the change with their skill and inspiration, along with empathy to understand how the information may affect others.
Successful leaders actively listen, using their intuition to explore. They want to understand the concerns and fears of their teams, taking the pulse of the people. They want input from the team that will help make the transition smoother.
With all the changes, the teams are still responsible for their day-to-day work- deadlines to meet, and goals to reach. While learning how to do their jobs differently, many of their daily tasks are still diligently performed under the old processes.
There is a lot to manage with change—the expectations of senior leadership, the fears of our teams and of others throughout the organization. All while managing your own fear and expectations.
So how does one successfully manage change and all that comes with it? As stated earlier, one important factor is to be informed. Learn what the change is all about and why it is happening. Gain understanding of how it will affect the organization and all those within it. This is what you, as a leader, need to do to successfully manage and bring about positive change. Managing change is one of the greatest opportunities to allow your leadership to shine and demonstrate your skills and abilities. Leading during change enables your skills as a communicator and as a collaborator to stand out. This opportunity also allows you to lean into your confidence as you build trust with your team and guide them to success.
Being a part of this change, whether you have already started down the path or are getting ready for that first step, is one of the most exciting, albeit a bit frightening changes you will experience while in the business world.
Recognizing and learning the steps towards managing successful change will be one of your biggest and most rewarding challenges. Join us as we present what it is to be a change leader and what it takes to manage change successfully. You will learn:
- What makes a leader.
- The difference between a manager and a leader.
- The challenges leaders face when dealing with change.
- The science of change management and how it can influence the strategies and actions you take in your organization.
- Know how to communicate the changes in a way that encourages your team to embrace and accept them.
- Learn a proven change management approach that will give you the results you want.
We will give you the tools to manage the change process, allowing you to be the leader you want to be and the leader your team needs during change.
In spring of 2023, Affexco Global also worked with Circular Philadelphia member Sharing Excess on a series of coaching sessions. Please read below to see what Sharing Excess founder Evan Ehlers had to say about the experience.
“I recently had the pleasure of working with AFFEXCO for their executive coaching services and was extremely impressed with the results. The coaches assigned to our team were knowledgeable, professional, and easy to work with. They helped us identify our strengths and weaknesses as a team and provided valuable insights and strategies to improve our communication, collaboration, and overall performance.
“The coaching sessions were well-structured and focused, and the coaches were able to adapt to our needs and challenges as a nonprofit. Their guidance and support helped us to develop better leadership skills and build a more cohesive and effective workflow.
“Overall, I highly recommend AFFEXCO’s coaching services for any business looking to improve the executive performance needed to achieve ambitious goals. Their team of experienced coaches are dedicated to helping their clients succeed, and their approach is both emotionally intelligent and effective.”
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