An In Good Company podcast with Steph Oerton, leadership and behavioural development lead at Network Rail
One change, many realities: what leaders often miss when managing change
The challenge organisations face today isn’t just change - it’s that the same change creates very different realities. Depending on your role, your life stage, where you work and what you’re measured on, change can feel like opportunity, pressure, freedom or threat.
Latest listen
In this episode of In Good Company, Steph Oerton explores these change differentials - and what leaders need to notice if they want engagement, trust and wellbeing to survive ongoing change. Drawing on 30-years of leadership development in media, telecoms, tech and rail, Steph talks to Dan about:
- Why the same change can feel energising to some and unsettling to others
- What reciprocal mentoring reveals about experience, confidence and technology
- How leaders carry their role differently
- When wellbeing depends on telling it like it is
Watch the full episode here:
How do different generations experience change at work?
The patterns we see sometimes are the predictable ones. Older generations can be slower to adapt. On the other hand, we get young apprentices coming in expecting high tech and being given a shovel. Some struggle with that. Good leaders notice those patterns, but they don’t make assumptions. Sometimes younger apprentices are hesitant about change because they’re worried about security. When you’ve got a lovely pension at the other end, security might not be such an issue. It’s the leaders who notice what’s going on with individuals in their teams who can harness those patterns and bring people together to help each other. We’ve seen reciprocal mentoring work well, pairing younger apprentices with more seasoned operators, whether out in the field or in head office roles. It’s about sharing what their side of the fence looks like and bringing them together. And it’s a richer experience for both.
How should organisations approach the return to office debate?
There was no change implemented so quickly and so deeply as staying at home during Covid. That change was overnight and none of us questioned it. When something so enormous happens, the impact resonates for a long time. We made people stay at home: people changed their routines. When we came out the other end, people got into a rhythm. At the same time, people did miss the community. I took a very flexible approach, I don’t measure time at the desk, I measure output. So, it all comes down to trust. I let the team work out what routine worked for them. We do come together for team meetings and monthly sessions, and people feel they’ve got a sense of purpose in going into the office. Handing some of that decision making over really helped.
What leadership actions support wellbeing during change?
It comes down to a good leader noticing how we are dealing with the change. I think we’ve become a little bit more fragile. So, we need to take care and notice each individual in the team and make sure we’re checking in with them properly. We need to understand what the impact of this change means to them, not only in their role, but how it’s making them feel. I think having regular check‑ins and communicating where we’re up to with the change works: people are really grateful for the transparency and they deserve to know what’s going on. Pretending that nothing’s happening doesn’t work for anybody because people need to understand why the change is happening. Creating a compelling vision for change helps people understand why and then how they can contribute. Often, change comes by stealth. But if we just do these things people don’t get it, they just keep carrying on, doing what they were doing, and then we have to do more change to compensate for the lack of change that happened when we tried to change in the first place.
Bonus insight: what leaders should do for themselves
Leaders feel they have to take care of their teams, drive performance and deliver results. But there’s an old adage: in the event of an emergency put on your own oxygen mask first:
- Prioritise what really matters: if it’s not urgent don’t do it. Use that time to do something for yourself. Go for a walk, get outdoors, clear your head. Invest in yourself.
- Be mindful of how you turn up: whatever happened in your last meeting, be mindful of what your expression is saying when you face your team.
- Find your own little community: have somebody you can have a good chat with. Because it can be really lonely otherwise.
- Show you’re not a superhero: a little vulnerability and being able to say “I don’t know the answers all the time” helps everyone.
Listen to the episode on Spotify
Listen again
Head to our YouTube / Spotify channels to catch up on previous episodes, including…
067: The change fatigue is real with Dagmara Ptasińska
Follow Impact on Spotify and subscribe to our channel on YouTube