To all my friends and friendlies, thanks for putting so much thought into our conversation about people’s resistance to change. Click here to read all the responses or join that conversation. Your comments have helped me crystalize my thinking and I really appreciate your help. Here are the big three things I read.
- Change is work. I love a short punchy sentence that can be read two ways. First, driving a change agenda takes a lot of work because of the need to align goals and engage with the people who will be affected by the change. It’s a process, not a one-off and that takes effort from a lot of people. Second, working on a change agenda usually means more work and people, particularly those who have been through the ‘let’s get on board with change’ routine before, can push back if they don’t believe all this extra work will succeed.
- People need to understand, believe and see there’s a problem. There are many different ways in which leadership teams can become disconnected from internal teams or external stakeholders, but the tell-tale sign is if people aren’t buying the change you’re selling. In this case, perspective is everything, which means engagement must be ongoing and it should precede, not follow, any big changes in direction or policy. Leadership teams need to be listening and talking with a wide variety of people to diversify their perspectives and use that information to inform the framing of the problem. Leave the corporate jargon behind and talk plainly and openly with people. A little humility and vulnerability can go a long way in building trust.
- We feel change deeply. Data can inform change and it can shape the solution, but it can’t make people accept it. People decide to act when they decide that making the change is the right decision for themselves, their families, their team, or their communities. Ultimately, it is an emotion-informed decision. We follow our gut or our heart in the direction it’s telling us to go and our minds figure out the details. To succeed at change leadership teams need to dig beneath the surface and find the root of the resistance. Often it is linked to the emotion of fear. Fear of losing something of value, fear of being forgotten, ignored or disrespected; fear of repeating past bad or traumatic experiences; or fear of not being good enough to thrive in a changing environment.
Do you have anything to add or build upon these initial observations? As always, I’m equal parts curious and appreciative of what you have to say. Thanks!
