Luz Urrutia on Leading Through Change
AOF President and CEO Luz Urrutia joins CEOs, founders and academic leaders in a new Leadership Today article on what it takes to bring people through organizational change.
Change is constant for organizations of every size, and how leaders handle it shapes whether teams move with them or pull away.
In a new Leadership Today article on resistance to change in the workplace, AOF President and CEO Luz Urrutia joins other CEOs, founders, and academic leaders to share what they’ve learned about guiding teams through periods of transition.
Luz’s advice starts with the “why.” When people don’t understand the reasoning behind a change, she says, they write their own version of the story, and it’s usually worse than reality. From there, she points to transparency even when the news is hard, communicating early and often, and listening as much as you speak.
“Change is not something you do to people. On the contrary, it’s something you do with them. The best ideas often come from the people closest to the work, and giving them a voice builds trust and ownership.” — Luz Urrutia, CEO, Accion Opportunity Fund
She also makes the case that empathy and accountability work together rather than in tension: some people will be excited about a change, others will grieve what they’re leaving behind, and leaders need to acknowledge both while still making decisions.
The full piece includes perspectives from leaders across healthcare, education, technology and nonprofits, along with a set of frequently asked questions on what causes resistance and how leaders can respond to it.
The article was written by Adam Mendler, a leadership keynote speaker and the creator and publisher of Leadership Today. He hosts the podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, teaches graduate-level leadership and teamwork courses at UCLA, and works with organizations as a leadership speaker.
