Tag: change

My people resist change

FabrizioLeave a comment

Three ways to go about change in companies.

  1. Engage with the people affected in time. Instead of going for behind-closed-doors decisions and big reveals, make everyone part of the process. You won’t lose control, and you will win a variety of perspectives and a clear view on what the major problems will be.
  2. Meet people where they are. It is way to easy to say my door is always open. So easy, in fact, that nobody will ever come to you. Make an intentional effort, instead, to check in with people where they hang out: meetings, 1-1s, chats, kitchen tables. You won’t lose power, and you will win connections, face time, and trust.
  3. Say it. Say it again. Say it once more. The saying goes, I told you I love you when we got married, I’ll let you know if anything changes. Of course, it is a joke. Then why do you do just that when it comes to change? Build a marketing campaign around change, make the message relevant, clear, inspiring, and then repeat it in every possible occasion. You won’t waste time, and you will win commitment and alignment.

And change is so much more than this. But since none of the above ever gets done, you could try starting here before complaining that your people resist change.

Be dumb

Fabrizio2 Comments

When you ask dumb questions, people get often irritated and dismissive. But if you explain that you are asking simply because you do not genuinely know, they are usually happy to help. They can also go great lengths to make it click for you.

There are benefits in taking a dumb approach to things, new things in particular. Understanding why something is done in a certain way can unlock new meaning, and eventually you will become better at expressing yourself.

Next time you are in a meeting, and somebody nonchalantly asks “you know that, right?”, or says “you have certainly heard about this”, or mentions a term you are not familiar with. Instead of nodding and pretending, stop and ask the dumb question: “can you explain that, please?”.

You will not loose status. You will gain the possibility to learn.

Fair

Fabrizio1 Comment

If you look around for fairness, you will find little of it.

Different people see the world in different ways, and fair becomes a fluid concept when you change perspective.

If you look inside for fairness, on the other hand, that is something you can more easily work with. You can train it, build it, apply it, and eventually spread it around. You can make it contagious, and impact those who are close to you.

And it all starts with being fair to yourself. What can you expect of you? What will you hold yourself accountable for? How will you express this to others, how will your actions impact them, and how are you going to find out?

Before asking the world to be fair, ask that of yourself. Imagine if everyone would do that.

Rapport

FabrizioLeave a comment

Just because you say it needs to happen, doesn’t mean it will happen.

If you give somebody an urgency, you better frame it in a way that makes sense to them or to the greater cause. Important is subjective, even when you are close, even when you work in the same team, even when there is a generic agreement on high level targets.

A sure way to inspire action is to build rapport first. Trust is what makes things important for a group of people. Not because somebody says it, but because we have a common understanding and we are in this together.

Just because it will happen, doesn’t mean you have changed their minds.

Of course, if you repeat that something is important enough times, people will eventually go ahead and merely do it. And next time you will have to ask again, repeat again, exhaust them again.

A sure way to inspire change is to sustain rapport. Dedicate time to it, expand it, nurture it, heal it, prioritize it, protect it. Not because somebody wants something, but because you care.

A different way

Fabrizio2 Comments

When you feel like you want to lash out at somebody.

Get aggressive, forget about manners, say it as it is. Ask a provocative question, answer in a passive aggressive tone. Send an irate reply, or no reply at all. Take it public, escalate it, raise the flag.

There is one question you should ask yourself first.

Why?

It is often so that, when that emotion takes us, we want to act to get it out, to relieve ourselves, to trade a long-term effect for a short-term boost.

If it is change we want, we have to find a different way.