I tend to associate change with growth because of my intensive background in personal development. So I get excited about change, whether it’s individual or organizational growth. Years ago, when my tech job paid for me to get training in change management and process improvement, my favorite module was about managing resistance to change.
Our instructors explained that employees feel and express resistance, fear, or resentment about change for the following reasons:
- Their day-to-day jobs might change radically
- They can’t picture themselves doing things differently
- Their sense of security is threatened
- They have to stretch beyond their comfort zone
- They have low tolerance for the unknown, a high degree of fear of the unknown
- They have feelings – like grief and fear – that they don’t know how to process on their own
That means that your job as a leader of change is to:
- Give them a picture
- Give them a map
- Communicate why
- Be authentic, real, and transparent
- Have understanding and empathy
From a combination of that training and my own experience over the years – both leading change in orgs and coaching leaders through change – I’ve found that these five practices can transform the transition process.
Give Them a Picture
A lot of the obstacle to change is that humans can’t imagine an unknown future. Neuroscience teaches us that we create by imagining and visualizing. When we don’t have a visual for change, it can be hard to feel/see where we are going, which activates resistance. Remember that every single employee likely perceives their career as part of their survival, either financially or socially, and most likely both. If their survival is at risk, that will activate a stress response in their bodies, which, by its biological nature, will pull resources away from the analytical part of the mind. Giving them a picture is one step towards reducing the stress and helping their brains to create a new reality.
Paint them a picture through story; tell them how the new reality might look and feel. Tell them what this change will give them. How will their jobs feel and change? How will they, the company, customers/clients, etc., benefit? What are the honest tradeoffs?
Give Them a Map
Once you’ve painted the picture of where you’re headed, give them a map of how they will get there. The map doesn’t have to include all the details of what you will experience on the road (likely you don’t know them anyway!), but it needs to be at least a rough sketch of how you will get to your destination. This will also make the unknown more known and help calm their fear and resistance.
You can do this through storytelling, a process map, project planning, or any other tool that’s relevant to your context.
Communicate Why
Intellect follows emotion, so give them the deeper reason why this change is happening. Help them connect to the bigger purpose of the change, and they are more likely to get on board with it. What makes it worth it for them to stretch beyond their comfort zone? Why is this risk worth taking? Why does this change matter to you? Why should it matter to them?
Be Authentic, Real, and Transparent
The first time I had a manager lead our team through significant change, he taught me how to do it well by being completely transparent about his motivations, concerns, his past challenges leading change, and his hopes for all of us. His authentic vulnerability allowed us to trust him, and that trust allowed us to take the risk and follow him into the unknown.
If you are trying to convince yourself that this change is good when you don’t really believe it, everyone is going to feel it. In a time of change, risk, uncertainty, and fear, people’s “BS meters” are especially active and sensitive. Believe what you’re saying; feel it. And your team will too.
Have Understanding and Empathy
I don’t need you to identify or agree with your team as much as I need you to understand what they might be feeling and where they are coming from. Interview them if necessary. It’s not just a good thing to do from a socio-emotional point of view or for psychological safety. Yes, they will feel better if they feel understood. But also, understanding your audience is critical for good communication.
Think of it this way: Your job is to build a bridge of communication between you and your team. Once the bridge is built, your team can follow your logic and purpose. If you don’t know where to build the other side of the bridge, you can’t build it! Understand them so you know how to reach them.
Learn from my mistakes. At several key moments in my career leading groups through change, I underestimated their fears, emotions, and resistance. It was illogical to me because I was excited about change. The gap between my perspective and theirs was big enough that I unintentionally bypassed their emotions and triggered backlash. I guess I had to have that experience a couple of times to get it; now it’s a lesson I will never forget!
Use All These and More
Use all of these practices, and don’t assume you don’t need them. It’s rare for a group of people to have zero resistance to change, whether or not they are voicing it; it’s better to assume they need all these practices. They will benefit regardless!
If you take nothing else away from this article, remember this: Don’t just plan the change itself; invest the time to plan how to lead the people through change. The most common blind spot I see is leaders forgetting the human element. What does your unique team need to excel and succeed on the journey into the unknown?
I’d love to hear how this article resonated with you. What are the tools that you need to lead change?
If you need more support and brainstorming, let’s meet: Schedule a time. New clients can schedule a free 30-minute intro session. I look forward to talking.