14 S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E I J u n e 2 0 1 4
grow the feeling of individual success
as well as the whole team’s
success. The leader then directs
and propels the organization to
the point where the change becomes
an ingrained part of the organization’s
culture. All of these
actions have to occur for an individual
to lead change.
Consider three situations that
would likely lead to change. The
first involves an existing department
head who attends an IMA®
continuing education class and
learns of a way to manage inventory
more efficiently. The second
is a board of directors hiring a
new CEO with the intention that
the CEO will restructure the organization.
The third is the CEO and
board of directors selecting a new
board member to join the board
because of her history of creative
new ideas.
All of these situations involve
education or fresh blood and are
simple first steps of change. In
each instance, a catalyst initiates
the change that eventually leads a
person to facilitate the change. The
person who facilitates the change
is the leader of it. Then he or she
creates a plan and vision. After
that, an effective leader adds additional
key members to the team.
This is the stage where the act of
leading change truly begins.
Let’s look at the individual examples
of change more deeply to
see who is leading the change. In
the first example, the department
head finds a catalyst in education
and begins the change from the
middle of the organization. In this
example, the change can trickle
down and affect the individual department,
and other departments
can use it as an example of a best
practice to start their own change
effort.
In the second example, the
board hires a new CEO to intentionally
be the catalyst. Who is the
leader of change in this situation:
the CEO or the board? The board
is the initial catalyst, expecting
change when it makes the decision
to select a new CEO. The board
decided which person to bring
into the organization. Though the
board is the initial catalyst for
change, the CEO will ultimately
be the leader in change. If he or
she is unable to lead change, no
widespread, intentional change
will occur. The only change will be
inconsequential.
In the third example, the CEO
and the board select a new board
member to use as a catalyst to generate
new ideas, which will influence
the board and the organization
as a whole. In this instance,
there are two potential outcomes.
The new board member could successfully
become a leader of change
on the board and be a true leader of
change within the organization, or
she may only be a catalyst of new
ideas without being a leader of
those ideas within the organization.
You Can Lead Change
Is it correct to expect that all
change comes from the top down?
As we’ve seen in the examples, and
in most real-life instances, longterm
global success is most effective
when it happens from the top
down. But it doesn’t have to be
limited to that. Pockets of change
can start at any level in an organization
and be fueled by the desire
of one or more individuals. In all
of the examples, the individual
catalyst has an impact on the organization
or the members of a
team. No matter their position in
the organization, individuals who
lead change are those who directly
lead people into the change. If you
are going to lead change, you have
to influence others. To determine
if you are a leader of change, ask
yourself if you have successfully
influenced anyone to really
change. If the answer is yes,
then you are a leader of change,
regardless of your position in the
organization. SF
Heather Nusbaum, CMA, is
the vice president of finance &
administration at Greater Killeen
Chamber of Commerce in
Killeen, Texas. She is a member
of IMA’s Austin Area Chapter.
You can reach Heather at
heather.d.nusbaum@gmail.com.
LEADERSHIP
The IMA® Leadership Academy
provides leadership opportunities
for all members. From leadership
assessment to leadership
courses offered in person as
well as through WebEx to participation
opportunities in mentoring,
be it reverse or traditional,
the IMA Leadership
Academy can help you meet
your leadership goals and improve
your leadership skills. For
more information, please visit
the Leadership Academy website
at www.imanet.org/
programs_events/leadership_
academy.aspx.