As an inspirational and entrepreneurial leader of a startup venture, radical innovation project, or dynamic change journey you must motivate people to stretch themselves and do their best in making a big positive difference.

You must be seen by your partners as a visionary and inclusive leader who is committed to leading change and creating an exciting future for all of them.

You must also manage the emotions of change, especially when you change the strategic direction. The way you handle emotions during these crucial times can turbo-boost or kill the change process. You must manage the emotions – or they will manage you.

Meet the Needs of Your Partners

Aspiring change leaders who cannot convincingly articulate a vision as well as necessity- or opportunity-driven dynamic changes in the strategic direction will not be successful.

People are social and have a need to belong to something great. They need to know the purpose and the strategic direction. It is not enough to just communicate another new-direction stretch goal. You must explain your partners why the direction was changed and why it is so important to achieve this stretch goal. People need to know that the change is beneficial to them. They want to feel that they are “insiders,” that they are aware of what is going on.