Resistance to change is often cited as one of the biggest obstacles to change.
However, it doesn’t need to be.
You can prevent it.
In many cases, what leaders experience as “resistance” is not resistance at all. It’s the predictable outcome of how change is framed, communicated, and led. When leaders misinterpret normal human responses, they can unintentionally create the very resistance they are trying to eliminate.
Efficiency. That’s the word that my private clients most often use when they talk about change in their organization. It’s their why for their change initiatives.
No matter where my client is within the organization, CEO, manager, supervisor, they all talk about efficiency. It sounds really good on paper. Everyone wants an organization that runs smoothly using less effort and resources.
When it comes to change, there are three truths that determine if people will move towards something new or away from it.
We tend to view emotions negatively, especially when discussing business decisions. People who show emotions are seen as soft, volatile, or unprofessional. Those who appear stoic are often seen as strong leaders.
Social media, newspapers, news feeds, television — anywhere you look, you’ll find something about climate change and the devastating effects it is having around the world. Close to home, shifting weather patterns — record-breaking floods in Ontario, tornadoes in the mid-western U.S., droughts and devastating wild fires along the west coast of the U.S. and Canada — have created a stark reality.
And yet, the debate about whether global warming and climate change are real continues. For someone like me, who looks to science to guide my thinking, it’s hard to understand how there can be any debate.
