10 things great leaders do to get people on board with change

Change isn’t easy. Even change for the better. Great leaders know this and don’t pretend otherwise. Yet they also know that embracing change with the right mindset – one that is open to learning and “unlearning” on-the-go – is paramount to creating an environment where change isn’t just a once in a decade occurrence to be endured, but an integral part of their organisation’s DNA to be embraced and enjoyed.

Whether you’re leading a team of two or an organisation of ten thousand, below are ten ways you can alleviate any internal resistance to change.

1. Lead from “why”

One of the main reasons change programs fail is that people don’t understand why they’re being put through the ringer. This is why leaders must be clear in their own heads about the big “why” behind the change they’re spearheading and clearly able to articulate it in an accessible, relevant way. A leader who can’t explain why a change needs to happen will only deepen any cynicism and fuel the underground resistance to it.

As you explain the “why”, make sure people understand the larger context and what lies at stake if they don’t change. Listen to their concerns and then ensure they don’t feel like they are going through a whole lot of pain, uncertainty and hard work for no good reason.

2. Risk over-communication

People need to hear from you. Often. More often than you might think, and more often than you may feel you have time for. Walk the corridors, be visible and be sure you are regularly communicating what’s going on via various channels.  Likewise set clear directions for the future, specific role expectations and never assume that something is “obvious” when you’re moving through change. It may be obvious to you, but not to the folks on the front line.

3. Make change fun

Organizational psychologists have found that each workplace develops its own group emotion, or “group affective tone,” which over time creates shared emotional norms that are proliferated and reinforced by behavior, both verbal and non verbal. But it can also work for the positive.

4. Make it safe and protect your people

No one enjoys making a mistake. But unless people feel they’re able to make the odd bad decision, they won’t be willing to risk making good ones.

Leaders need to create a psychological safety net that breeds confidence by those around them that, should they fall or not make a perfect landing first time, they’ll be okay. Reassuring people that their risks won’t be punished—assuming they’ve prepared well and aren’t being reckless—helps to offset their fear and fosters the creativity necessary for innovation to flourish.

5. Acknowledge anxiety — Spoken and silent

Great leaders don’t pretend that that the uncertainty of change is easy sailing. They acknowledge concerns – both the spoken and unspoken – and the discomfort of being in unfamiliar territory while simultaneously keeping people focused on what is within their control.  Sure, the future is uncertain but “don’t worry, we’ll get through this and I’ve got your back.”

6. Encourage smart risk taking

People are wired toward caution. When making decisions, we have an innate tendency to overestimate the probability of failure, to underestimate ourselves (particularly women!) and to downplay the cost of inaction, amplifying the short-term consequences of taking action over longer-term risks of inaction.  As Nobel Laureate and psychologist Daniel Kahneman wrote in Thinking, Fast and Slow, “Losses loom larger than gains.”

7. Nudge people into discomfort

You can probably look back to earlier in your career and think of situations that made you very nervous at the time which you hardly blink an eye at now. The reason is simple: you were exposed to that situation enough times that over time what was frightening became familiar.  Called the “Mere Exposure Effect,” it explains why it’s important to give some people a gentle (or not so gentle) nudge out of their comfort zone.

8. Appoint “change ambassadors”

Let’s face it, those who set the strategy at the top are often far removed from the “pain points” of those further down the organizational hierarchy who are left to execute and deal with the front line challenges that change creates.  Engage people right down through your organization to “wave the flag” and influence the outlook of those in the trenches. When the going gets tough, they will be able to set the group affective tone far more powerfully than anyone sitting up in the c-suite.

9. Reward brave behavior, not just results

When forging through new ground, not every step will move you in the right direction. Some may move you sideways. Others two steps back. Yet only rewarding those who get it right first time can drive the very risk aversion you want to avoid. It’s why it is vital to acknowledge people when they act bravely – whether they’ve had the courage to speak up in a meeting and challenge your thinking or to run a controlled experiment with a new process – even when their actions don’t produce the outcome they want.

10. Lead by example — Risk your own safety

The extent to which those around you will be willing to act courageously is determined by how much you are willing to take a risk yourself. Leaders who have the courage to put their own reputation, security and safety on the line for the sake of something more important will grow influence where others grow anxiety.  If you’re not forging new ground in how you lead yourself, then you most certainly won’t be able to lead others to forge new ground in your organization.