Communicating Change - Help Others Through Their Thinking
Why is change so hard? As an executive, you see the need for change so clearly and the impact the change will create has a clear line to achieving your strategy. When you share the news with your teams, people ask questions that can feel frustrating. They push back on the change and challenge if it’s really necessary. Why can’t they see what you can see so easily?
A great model for exploring the process of change Prochaska’s Stages of Change:
Precontemplation – Not ready for change
Contemplation – Getting ready
Preparation – Ready for change
Action – Making overt changes
Maintenance – Embracing the change for more than 6 months
When announcing a change to your team or organization, as the executive you’ve been through the first three stages of change and it’s important to acknowledge that you’ve had time to work through those stages. Those you are communicating the change to are in pre-contemplation – not only are they not ready for change, they aren’t yet aware that change is even required. I find leaders are often at least three weeks, if not more, ahead in their thinking on a change and forget that those hearing about the change would benefit from the same thought processes to accept the change.
Pre-contemplation:
When hearing about change, the first thing the listener is trying to do is make sense of what they are being asked. Leaders often communicate the tasks or tactical aspects of the change but not the outcome or vision they are trying to create and why. Slow down and start with the problem, not the solution. What is the problem you’re trying to solve? Help your team see the problem and the compelling reasons why the problem needs to be solved. How is the problem impacting them, their goals, and their future?
Contemplation:
You’ve spent considerable time and effort to work through the various options for solving the problem or achieving the new future. Again, you’re likely several weeks or more ahead mentally in accepting and processing the change. Help others come along in their own mental journey by taking them through the thinking you’ve gone through to get to this point. What are the costs and benefits that you considered? Why are you settling on this specific solution?
Some leaders struggle to share the costs or potential challenges because they want to focus on the positive to help others through change. This can do the opposite and reduce your credibility. I worked with one CEO client that struggled with getting buy-in on change because the other executives thought he had rose coloured glasses and didn’t consider the possible negative impacts of change. In reality, he did consider them but didn’t want to pull people down by focusing on the negative. Once he began to be transparent about how he explored the costs and potential negative impacts, the executive team was easily able to get on board and support the change. Acknowledge reality, even the ugly side.
Preparation:
Give advance notice of change, the expectations for the change and the plan of action. This stage is critical to allowing others to explore and create their own plans to step into the change. Sometimes you only have a few days yet this stage is critical again for people to work through how they will step into the change.
Action & Maintenance:
This is where the new behaviours, systems and process are put into action, but communication remains critical. Change is hard and when things get hard, we all need to be reminded of why we are going through change and it’s the leader’s role to continue to reinforce the problem you’re solving and why. As a leader you can feel silly at times repeating these messages and remind yourself that you’re repeating the messages for your team, not for yourself. Repeating the “why” and vision for the future will help people re-engage in supporting the change.
Finally, by listening to the concerns and impact the change will have on others, you have the ability to help them explore the new perspectives and assist them over the edge of the change. You can’t fully take followers through your thinking until you’ve been willing to explore theirs.