One situation where I had to experience change but also was
responsible for managing change was when I was a department
manager at a Nike retail store post-pandemic. There were many
things we had to do differently and having to figure out how each
employee reacts to change was a challenge. We had to operate
differently as a large retail store. Daily procedures were adjusted to
specific guidelines that had to be followed, and there was more
responsibility put on employees’ daily tasks. Looking back, I would
have done a different approach with the way change was
communicated along with the delivery of what is changing and why.
We saw a huge increase in our turnover rate due to employees
feeling overworked, not apricated or rewarded. I personally
mentored 10 employees and a couple of times it was shared that the
communication from management was not clear or transparent
enough. Being a part of the leadership team there were numerous
times that our monthly meeting was pushed back or postponed.
During this course, I learned that being in a leadership role for the
organization to be successful the way change is managed and
delivered is huge.
Over the last 8 years, I have gained a lot of career experience with
change management. Taking this course helped me identify how I
can be a better leader during uncertainty. The change management
skills that I found most relevant to my professional life are
communication with team members and change implementation. I
learned that the way change is implemented and how fast can either
have a positive or negative effect. Overall, this course made me think
a little deeper into the effect change can have on leaders and team
members. Going forward I will focus on creating and maintaining the
vision for change for my team members. It is important to keep
employees motivated through change and have them understand
how it will benefit them in their roles.
Good luck with the rest of your MBA program and future careers! It
has been great working through this course with you all.
