There’s a common trap leaders fall into when managing change.
They put too much emphasis on implementation, and they start it too soon.
Implementation is essential. Without action, there is no change. But it isn’t the first phase of the change process, nor is it more important than the other phases.
When you rush into implementation without proper preparation and follow-up, you set your change initiative up for failure.
Even if you do get something implemented, the desired new activities and behaviours usually fail to stick, so the event’s value and ROI are lost.
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Many leaders prioritize getting the new system, process, or behaviour in place quickly. But without readiness, even the most well-executed implementation won’t deliver meaningful or lasting results.
That’s what happened with one organization that implemented a new enterprise management system. From a technical standpoint, it was a successful implementation. IT installed the new software, trained the employees, and completed the rollout on time. However, fast forward a few years and the value of that new system had still not been achieved.
Because employees hadn’t fully adopted it or used it as intended, data entry was inaccurate and incomplete. The situation was worse, not better.
Although the technical implementation was successful, the overall change was a failure. Kind of like a doctor saying the surgery was a success, but the patient died.
The leaders had fallen into the trap of believing that implementing the event would lead to change.
The Real Problem: Starting at the Wrong Level of Readiness
One of the biggest reasons implementation fails is that leaders launch change based on their own level of readiness and not the readiness of the people expected to adopt the new activities.
The leader who decides to initiate a change starts their change process sooner, often months or even years. They are mentally and strategically prepared.
Employees, however, are just encountering the change for the first time.
This gap creates a disconnect. Leaders push forward with implementation, assuming alignment, while employees are still trying to understand the “why”, what change means for them, and what adoption will look and feel like.
Therefore, leaders announce the change, then ask: How will we implement this change?
Instead of asking, “How do we implement this change?” leaders need to ask:
- What is the current level of readiness among the people affected? Where are they on the Change Continuum?
- What is needed to build their level of readiness to ensure they are prepared for implementation and can adopt the new activities and behaviours?
Without answering these questions, implementation becomes premature and ineffective.
Building Readiness Before You Act
A large manufacturing company experienced this firsthand. After announcing a major transformation, leaders interpreted employee questions and concerns as resistance. But in reality, employees weren’t resisting. They were engaging in the natural process of building readiness.
The leadership team had already spent 18 months preparing for the change. They were ready to implement. Employees were not.
What looked like pushback was a necessary step: employees trying to understand the need for change and what it meant for them.
In launching the change from their level of readiness, the executive team missed two critical steps:
- Helping employees fully understand and internalize the need for change
- Creating time and space for them to connect and create a meaningful outcome story.
Without these, employees couldn’t move forward. And without readiness, implementation becomes little more than an illusion of progress.
Sustainable Change Starts Before Implementation
Implementation can only be successful when the people affected are ready to begin engaging in the activities.
If readiness isn’t there, any progress made during implementation is fragile. It may look like success in the short term, but it won’t last, and the return on investment will fall short.
True change requires preparation. It requires leaders to slow down, meet people where they are, and build the foundation before taking action.
If your past change initiatives have struggled, the issue may not be execution—it may be that implementation started too soon.
Schedule a Change Strategy Call with me today, and let’s talk about how to build readiness before launching your next initiative.
