Leading change in any capacity is challenging; however, I would argue that leading change in digital learning environments is even more difficult since there are many internal and external factors to consider. Skilled individuals, resource capacity, appropriate software, training, task identification, stakeholder analysis, and end-user empathy are just some of the elements that need to be considered when leading a change project. The common factor in each of these considerations is people. People are both necessary for implementing change and they are also the creators of it. People have many different ideas of what change looks like and how to implement those changes. Leadership is therefore critical in order to create a safe space for competing ideas to be heard and respected.

As I reflect on my learning throughout the course and my first post on leadership, my perspective has not changed. Good leaders motivate and encourage others and they do this by open communication and empathy. Not just empathy for end users but with all stakeholders involved in the project. Bringing people together to accomplish one goal is no easy task; team conflict is bound to arise. Good leaders instill confidence in their people to complete tasks while also pushing them out of their comfort zones to create more leaders. When required, they also need to make the tough decisions.

In terms of helping to lead change within my organization, I can envision using a readiness checklist. What struck me about the organizational readiness checklist in the readings was that I had never encountered this before. In my experience, implementing change is just decided. It is assumed that change is required with not much consideration about who, what, where, when, or how. In the future, I can see myself using an organizational readiness checklist as a type of pre-planning tool to make sure that the proper infrastructure, support, resources and communication strategy are in place. I believe by doing this, leading change will be more successful.