Empathy and Engagement in Organizational Change

Cassandra Worthy: Change Enthusiasm Cassandra Worthy enables organizations and individuals to grow through major change and significant shift by harnessing the power of emotion. Whether undergoing a merger, acquisition, start-up, explosive growth, or significant contraction, the strategies and tools of Change Enthusiasm are motivating and energizing workforces worldwide. Her consulting firm was birthed from the pain and challenges she overcame as a corporate executive. Cassandra’s client base spans the Fortune 500, including Procter & Gamble, Allstate, Jones Lang LaSalle, Centene Corporation, ConferenceDirect, and WeWork. She's a chemical engineer by training and also brings over a decade of M&A experience distilled down into the critical leadership traits required to lead with exception during times of change and trans-formation. She's the author of Change Enthusiasm: How to Harness the Power of Emotion for Leadership and Success*. In this conversation Cassandra and I explore the critical importance of emotion in the change process. We detail some of the key places where leaders often miss opportunities to prioritize employee well-being. Then, Cassandra shares some practical steps leaders can take that will help employees better recognize signal emotions so they can eventually find opportunity and choice during the change process. Key Points Many leaders tend to diminish or ignore negative emotions during change. Actively doing that may prevent employees in getting to a place where they see opportunity — and eventually choice. Beware focusing too much attention on vision, roles, and responsibilities — and not enough on employee well-being and fulfillment. The change process is like driving in a car. The structure of the process is the vehicle itself and the people are their fuel. Have discussion about handling change a regular item in 1:1 agendas and team meetings. Leaders can enter into the opportunity that change provides by sharing their own emotions. One way to do this is to be explicit in conversation about what is genuinely inspiring you about the change. Resources Mentioned Change Enthusiasm: How to Harness the Power of Emotion for Leadership and Success* by Cassandra Worthy Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404) The Way Innovators Get Traction, with Tendayi Viki (episode 512) Overcome Resistance to New Ideas, with David Schonthal (episode 557) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.