What’s YOUR style of leading change?

Knowing your CQ (Change Intelligence) style can make all the difference for your ability to influence others and overcome resistance to change!

Just as each of us communicates, collaborates and handles conflict in our own unique ways, so do we each have our own style of leading change.  And, just as we are much more effective in working with others when we understand ourselves and how we are similar and different than others – and can adjust accordingly – so we are much more confident and competent in influencing and partnering with others towards challenging goals when we understand the various change leader styles.

Our Change Leader style is comprised of our tendencies to lead with our Heart versus our Head versus our Hands.  Powerful Change Leaders “start with the heart,” “engage the brain,” and “help the hands” move in positive new directions.  Of course, none of us leads only, all the time, in every instance with the Head or Heart or Hands.  We are each a blend of all three.  It is this unique combination that represents our Change Leader Style.  There are seven possible styles, depending on how strong you are on heart, head and hands.


The relationship between the seven styles can be represented as a triangle, which, incidentally, is also the Greek symbol for change:

We enhance our influence and impact when we learn how to shift our leadership strategy to more meaningfully connect with people of different styles.  We all know the Golden Rule, “do onto others as YOU want to be done unto.”  To optimally partner with others through change, follow the Platinum Rule, “do onto others at THEY want to be done unto.”

Depending on the circumstances, sometimes we lead in one way and sometimes in another.  No style is better or worse, right or wrong.  However, at any given time one style may be more effective in leading change.  Awareness of our style can help us adapt to different people and situations and ultimately take action to become more powerful change leaders.

By building Change Intelligence, Change Leaders are able to overcome what looks like resistance, but is really either confusion over the goal (no “Head”), lack of connection to the goal (no “Heart”), or lack of tactics and training to partner together to work toward the goal (no “Hands”).  That’s CQ!