If you want your leaders to focus their priorities, be sure that you are clear about yours. Leaders keep their organizations on track by frequently referring to overarching goals when making key decisions and developing not only "start" but "stop" lists when setting objectives and developing plans.

If you want to communicate a sense of urgency, use time boxing and demonstrate flexibility on cost and scope. Follow the lead of a CIO who introduced the term "30-day wonder" to a doubtful organization and then helped staff members amaze themselves as they delivered faster than ever before.

If you want to encourage innovation, select a project to personally lead and provide seed money to those who are willing to take risks and lead change. If you want to instil a performance oriented, accountable culture — remove the senior level leader who is obviously phoning it in. If you want to promote teamwork, be open about your weaknesses, ask for and respond to feedback, call out unproductive behaviours such as gossip and force your leaders to have difficult conversations face-to-face.

Leading change takes more than compelling strategies, great hiring and moving speeches. Smart leaders understand how to leverage the attention focused on them by using teachable moments to convey their leadership agenda. Through actions that are simple, powerful and symbolic, leaders can quickly communicate their agenda and avoid the sense of impotence and dread that comes from relying on others to communicate it for them.

Susan Cramm is founder and president of Valuedance, an executive coaching firm in San Clemente, California You can e-mail feedback to susan@valuedance.com.