Friday’s Change Reflection Quote - Leadership of Change - Change Leadership Means Challenging Assumptions

Feb05

1990 - De Klerk dismantles apartheid in South Africa.

Happy Friday!

On this day, February 2, 1990, F. W. de Klerk announced the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) at the opening of Parliament and promised to release Nelson Mandela. This marked a pivotal turning point in South Africa’s history. Nelson Mandela had already spent nearly 30 years in prison for his opposition to apartheid and fight for racial equality. His impending release signified the possibility of peaceful negotiations and reform after decades of violence and unrest. F. W. de Klerk challenged the long-held assumptions and policies that upheld apartheid. This required not just risk-taking but also a willingness to admit that the status quo and long-standing beliefs were fundamentally unjust. The impact of this change was profound. South Africa’s transition to democracy brought an end to apartheid, dismantled institutionalised racism, and established a new era of equality and justice. F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela worked together to achieve this change and were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

As F. W. de Klerk walked into the opening of the session of the Parliament that day, he told his then wife, “South Africa will never be the same again.” He went against norms perpetuated by his own political party to initiate reforms. As a change leader, he took responsibility for recognising when systems were fundamentally unjust rather than defending the status quo. He understood the need to bring the ANC and other groups to the table in order to gain buy-in and collaborate. Additionally, de Klerk persisted through setbacks over years of complex negotiations. The path to progress is never smooth. When talks stalled, de Klerk remained resilient and flexible to keep momentum; he remained loyal to his values and vision to inspire change. Change Leadership Means Challenging Assumptions.

“Pronounced change leadership means challenging assumptions, engaging stakeholders, persisting resiliently, finding common ground, and constantly communicating vision”

When leading change, never forget that some of your stakeholders will have their own motives and will be asking themselves, “What’s in it for me?” No matter how good the wider change team is (leaders, sponsor, and the change team itself), how hard you work, or how important the change programme may be to the organisation, without good stakeholder engagement, you will hit major barriers. As mentioned in the introduction to this section, stakeholders can be defined as any group or individual who can affect or be affected by the organisation’s change, transformation, or initiative. Detailed stakeholder analysis and mapping are critical to ensuring the wider change team understands and manages resistance throughout the change programme.

Have a fantastic weekend with the ones you love and care for, enjoy some fresh air, exercise, eat, drink and be happy.

Further Reading: Change Management Leadership: Leadership of Change Volume 4

Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change^®. He advises CEOs on how to prepare and align their corporate leadership teams to successfully lead their organisation's change.

For further reading please visit our websites: https://www.a2b.consulting https://www.peterfgallagher.com Amazon.com: Peter F Gallagher: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Leadership of Change® Body of Knowledge Volumes: Change Management Body of Knowledge (CMBoK) Books: Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, A, B, & C available on both Amazon and Google Play:

~ Leadership of Change® Volume 1 - Change Management Fables

~ Leadership of Change® Volume 2 - Change Management Pocket Guide

~ Leadership of Change® Volume 3 - Change Management Handbook

~ Leadership of Change® Volume 4 - Change Management Leadership

~ Leadership of Change® Volume 5 - Change Management Adoption

~ Leadership of Change® Volume 6 - Change Management Behaviour

~ Leadership of Change® Volume 7 - Change Management Sponsorship

~ Leadership of Change® Volume A - Change Management Gamification - Leadership

~ Leadership of Change® Volume B - Change Management Gamification - Adoption

Coming soon:

~ Leadership of Change® Volume C - Change Management Gamification - Behaviour

~ Leadership of Change® Volume D - Change Management Gamification - Sponsorship