The ancient Greek Philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant in life.” This is true in a family and an organization. As a leader, navigating an organization through changes can be one of the most challenging tasks you will face.
In his book Developing the Leader Within You, John Maxwell points out that, “There is nothing more difficult to undertake, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than introducing change.” Wow, those are strong words! He goes on to explain that change is almost universally resisted.
The reasons for this are varied, but I believe the biggest reason change is resisted is fear. The people you lead have a fear of the unknown. They fear how the change will happen, and they fear how things will change for them personally. Fear causes people to complain, criticize, and even obstruct the change that is being introduced.
So why even bother? If change is so difficult and painful, is it even worth it? The answer is yes, of course.
Leaders must persevere through change because that is what we do. We see what needs to be adjusted within the organization we lead, and we feel called and compelled to do something about it. We feel a burning passion to lead people to achieve an objective or reach a goal; therefore, we act and push, because that is just what we do.
Is there a way to reduce the frustration of both leaders and followers as we lead people through change? I believe there is. Having lead a larger church now for 12 years, and having navigated large and small changes along the way, here are 3 ideas that I have learned that have helped ease the pain of change.
1. Tell your people things are going to change.
You know in your heart that as a growing organization, things are going to be changing and changing often. So, tell your team! Share the idea that the way things are done now is working for now, but there will come a time when the way we do things will have to change in order to be effective in the future. This will help your team and your customers to expect and even prepare for changes as they come. You will find that your team can endure change much better when they know it’s part of the culture.
2. Tell your people WHY there needs to be a change.
It’s not enough to share that changes will be coming. You must tell them the reason for the change. It must make sense to them. No one likes change for the sake of change… well maybe some do… but in an organization people do not. It wears them out and frustrates them. Pastor and author Craig Groeschel said, “People tend to criticize most what they understand the least.” If you want more buy-in for the changes you know need to happen, start with the WHY. Answer that question, and you will see far less resistance.
3. When possible, empower them to author the change.
Most teams don’t resist change, but rather how leaders try to change things. Typically, strong leaders announce changes that need to be made to the people who are responsible for making the changes happen. This almost never goes well. We need a different approach.
It’s vital that we understand that people in general like change. They change their hair, living room, diets, clothing, and favorite restaurants almost weekly. If the change is their idea, or if they play a part in shaping the change, they are far more likely to support it and defend it. If your team can be a part of designing the change, they will take responsibility for it and passionately execute it.
I realize this takes time, and that is why many leaders skip this part of their leadership, but when you choose to skip this important step, you do so to your peril. If you want less pain, include your team in the changes.
Questions to consider:
What change do you know you need to make in your family or organization?
What is the “why” behind the change? How can you share that first?
How can you empower your team to be a part of crafting the change?
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