It’s time to make the critical shift from leading the business by yourself to leading an organization of people. At P2Excellence, we help you navigate the uncharted territories of organizational growth with clarity and confidence.
Welcome to October!
This year, we’ve been building competencies that make you a stronger, more grounded leader:
- Emotional Intelligence
- Communication
- Strategic Thinking
- Decision Making
- Adaptability & Resilience
- Accountability & Integrity
- Inspiring & Motivating Others
- Coaching & Developing Others
- Conflict Resolution
Each one of these supports your ability to guide a team through complexity. This month, we turn our attention to Innovation and Change Management because change isn’t something that happens once and is over. It’s the air your organization breathes.
The Work of Change—Big and Small
Every company and every team is changing all the time—markets shift, team members come and go, strategies evolve, and customer expectations grow.
Good leaders understand that:
- Innovation starts with clarity about the problem you’re solving.
- Blue-sky brainstorming is valuable, but not every problem needs disruption—sometimes it just needs a thoughtful tweak.
- Teams thrive with strong roots—clear values, purpose, and a commitment to excellence—and with the ability to flex when market demands, team needs, or resources shift.
When we hold too tightly to the status quo, we stagnate. When we chase change for the sake of change, we create chaos. Leadership lives in the tension between the two.
Know Yourself First
This work starts with you.
- Are you wired to play it safe and wait until change becomes urgent? Where is your organization asking you to be bolder?
- Or are you someone who loves change, who’s constantly tinkering and pushing for the next big thing? Does your team need more incremental adjustments to catch up with your vision?
Knowing yourself and being honest about your natural tendencies keeps you from unintentionally overloading your team or holding them back.
Why Now?
We’re heading into the final stretch of the year, when pressure mounts and leaders often feel tempted to “just hold steady.” But standing still is not a strategy. Markets are shifting, customers are recalibrating, and teams are tired of chaos. This is the moment to remind ourselves: innovation doesn’t always mean disruption—it can be steady, thoughtful adjustments that keep us moving forward without burning out our people.
Why You?
Because you set the tone for how your organization experiences change. If you treat change as a burden, your team will brace themselves. If you treat change as an opportunity, they’ll lean in with you. The way you innovate, communicate, and model flexibility shows your team how to stay rooted in values while adapting with confidence. And that is the kind of leadership that endures.
Challenge:
Quit thinking of change management as a finite, one-time project.
Ask yourself:
- Am I helping my team build capacity for ongoing change, or are we lurching from fire drill to fire drill?
- Do I give my team space to innovate, or do we stick with “how we’ve always done it” because it feels safer?
- Do we have a shared process for solving problems, or does every change feel like chaos?
Self Reflection:
Take a moment this week and ask:
- “Where am I overcomplicating change?”
- “Where am I resisting it?”
- “Where am I expecting too much, too soon?”
Good leaders know the possibilities, trust their gut, and then verify with data and team input.
Hack:
Build Your Change Filter
Next time you’re facing change, run it through this filter:
- Clarify: What problem are we solving?
- Create: Brainstorm solutions—go big if you need to.
- Choose: Decide—do we need transformation, or a smart adjustment
- Communicate: Tell your team the why, what, and how.
- Calibrate: Check results, learn, and adjust.
This keeps change from living in crisis mode and turns it into a healthy rhythm.
When to Consider Hiring a Coach:
If your team is:
- Living in constant overwhelm
- Missing opportunities for improvement
- Stuck in “this is how we’ve always done it”
…then it might be time for a coach.
Together, we can:
- Build a culture of continuous improvement
- Equip your team to flex without losing focus
- Help you balance stability with innovation
Action Steps:
This week:
Identify one process, policy, or practice that needs a refresh.
Define the problem clearly and decide whether it needs a tweak or a bigger shift.
Invite your team’s input before you roll out the change.
You don’t have to chase every shiny idea to be innovative, you just have to stay curious, lead with clarity, and keep moving forward.
I believe in your ability to lead change that makes your team stronger and your organization better.
And I believe in you,
*P.S. - As a reminder, we are covering the 12 Critical Competencies of High-Impact Leadership this year.
Next month…Self-Care.
Join the Conversation
Let’s continue this discussion on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear your insights, experiences, and successes (or stumbles) as you strengthen your Emotional Intelligence.
Please Spread the Word
We’d love for you to refer Tuesday’s to other leaders in your network. Please share this post and encourage your colleagues to subscribe.
Here’s to a month of clear, impactful communication together!