Change of command

A change of program leadership is a critical time that can provide a catalyst for increased performance or leave a project adrift. A leadership change can result from a reorganization, a forced resignation due to poor performance, or a leader moving to a new opportunity. A successful management change will be be crisp, the new leader quickly communicates plans and priorities, and gets the focus on execution. All too often, I have seen leadership changes turn into long planning processes that invariably lead to loss of momentum, organizational angst, and an inward focus.

The military provides an excellent example for an effective change of leadership. The typical ceremony consists of:

• reading of new Commanding Officer's (CO) orders
• new CO states "I relieve you, Sir."
• the old CO states "I stand relieved."
• salutes and passing the colors
• speeches including the new CO laying out his goals and priorities

The new CO will have spent time before the ceremony inspecting the unit's personnel, plans, and execution. The result is a unit that receives new leadership, maintains operational tempo, and the personnel remain engaged. The new CO hits the ground running and any new goals and priorities are unambiguously adopted by the organization. A video documenting a typical Change of Command ceremony is embedded at the end of this post. Notice the passing of the colors to symbolize the passing of authority, the new CO's speech that establishes continuity with the past and expresses his priorities moving forward, and the new CO's superior expressing his confidence in the new leader. There is no question who is in charge and what the plan is going forward.

Strive to take on new responsibilities aggressively and quickly by following a similar yet less formal process. I begin by understanding the current team's culture, plans, execution strategy, personnel, and challenges. This is followed by the rapid formulation of a comprehensive plan developed iteratively with the new team and a plan rollout where frank and open discussion to obtain broad based buy-in and expose weaknesses. All plans contain strengths and weaknesses. The leader’s job is to make sure all the weaknesses are identified and the plan optimizes for obtaining the highest results while limiting the negative aspects. I have yet to encounter a team that will not get on board when leadership clearly explains the plan while acknowledging its deficiencies along with explaining the mitigation strategies.

An effective change of command will put you in charge, energize your team, and lay a foundation for effective long term execution.