When we moved into our lowcountry house three years ago, the side yard was beautifully shaded with quintessentially southern crepe myrtle and magnolia trees that belonged to our neighbor.
Given that they lived here only a few months of the year, I felt privileged to enjoy the beauty of their landscaping year-round. Following their lead, I fulfilled my gardening zest by planting lots of shade-loving flowers and shrubs.
Every day the beauty of the plants growing there made me smile.
That beauty changed recently.
Crews with chain saws scampered through the neighbor’s yard and took down tree after tree—including those beautiful myrtles and magnolias that stood guard over my shade-loving plants.
Gone was the shade and respite from the sun. Soon my shade-loving plants began to wither and die, unable to withstand the heat and light.
So now I’m thinking about abrupt change, and the unintended ripple effects it causes.
Change is certainly a part of life and business, no denying that. Yet change imposed without notice and without warning increases the likelihood of resistance and pushback.
If you’re a leader who has to shift things up, keep a few simple tips and pointers in mind to help your team navigate the bright light more easily and readily.
3 tips to make change good for everyone
1) Communicate as much as you can ahead of time.
Bring people into the loop early in the process—both to secure their feedback (and insights you might not have considered) and to allow them time to begin the mental and emotional adjustment to what’s coming. They can handle it.
Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better. ~King Whitney Jr.
2) Explain why the modifications or revisions are happening.
It’s much easier to embrace what’s new and different, or at least get aligned with it, when we know the purpose and reasoning for altering the status quo. In the absence of facts that results from failing to communicate, people create their own story, which may be totally accurate or completely off the mark.
Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history. ~Joan Wallach Scott
3) Embed the change.
Structure the process to provide some early and visible wins. Hold people accountable for using the new systems, models, skills, etc. Have regular readouts on progress made, barriers overcome and tall buildings leapt in a single bound. Reward and recognize. Weave the new into the fabric of your culture.
If I have the belief that I can do it, I will surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning. ~Gandhi
Change is a given…help people feel a part of it rather than feeling it’s something awful happening to them that they can’t control at all.
What’s your secret for a good transition?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
