1. Buy “it” Yourself

Take a look around your house. How much “stuff” did you buy in the last month? Or review your Amazon cart. I’ll bet if you examined your purchasing history, there are probably at least a few items you shouldn’t have bought. And even before you hit the purchase button, you were probably on the fence. 

This is no different in many of the “changes” in the work environment. Sometimes, leaders make changes and are not entirely sold on themselves. 

How easily can you recommend (sell) your favorite restaurant, wine, or book? It’s easy. Why? Because you believe in it. 

Most change initiatives fail because the leaders don’t fully believe in them. How do you expect others to adopt and implement them if you don’t believe in them? 

A client of mine underwent a two-year implementation program for a new CRM system for the company. It failed. In talking with him, he had buyer’s remorse from the onset. He thought that he could still successfully move forward without addressing it. 

The first step is to examine the scale of Pain vs. Pleasure 

Urgency is directly correlated to the degree of avoiding pain or seeking pleasure. The more painful something is, the higher the degree of urgency. It is critical because this can help us take the first step.

The second part examines the relationship between self-reflection and self-deception. Many failed change initiatives are led by leaders who live in self-deception and arrogance, which prevents them from seeing and believing in change. 

2. Select a Community of Influencers 

I paid to join an elite group of professional motivational speakers a while back and attended the first in-person event. After leaving, this influenced me to update my website and demo video. 

No one told me to make these changes to my business, but being around high performers helps you raise your standards. 

We are social creatures, and peer accountability is incredibly powerful. 

When an organization changes, people often look to their peers and influencers for help. If you can win over a select few influencers, they can help champion your change. 

The transformation may originate from a top change management speaker, but its impact will stem from their peers.

3. Share/Sell the Why 

Start With Why.

Sometimes, organizations address the what and gloss over the why. 

They focus on the result and fail to share the purpose. 

Why are we doing this? What’s the motivation behind this change? 

What’s the belief that this will be something that will help the organization? 

Employees who don’t understand the “why” tend to give half effort. 

Addressing the why speaks to the part of the brain that deals with trust and “gut feelings.” 

Knowing “the why” behind a change initiative is the energy source for overcoming obstacles that will surface in the coming weeks and months. 

4. Flush Out Your Concerns 

About every eleven months, we have an A/C technician come to our house to inspect and clean our unit. One of the things he does is flush the drain line. It always amazes me how much sludge comes out. 

In the past, when we hadn’t had this service, the drain line got clogged up, and the a/c unit stopped working. This is not fun in June in Florida with small kids and a wife. 

People will naturally talk when you initiate a change. Some will resist and perhaps balk at the new changes. This is okay and to be expected. 

What amazes me is how senior leaders prioritize finding out who’s speaking negatively. They will seek to collect information from “sources” and waste much time in this pettiness activity instead of taking courage and flushing out concerns face to face. 

Create a psychologically safe environment where people can voice their concerns without fear of retribution. Allowing people to express their thoughts and feelings is one critical step in getting them to buy into the long-term change. 

When someone has to “keep it in” or “stuff it down,” it will usually surface in the future and create more problems. 

Have you ever been in a conversation with a person, and they bring up something you did that was hurtful to them from the past? You had no idea they took offense to that or were still holding onto that. 

This is what happens when we don’t fully express our concerns. 

5. Reduce The Friction 

I bought a Peloton bike in 2019. I saw it as a way to get an incredible workout without getting in my car, driving to a studio, and coordinating class times with my schedule. 

It can be tough enough to motivate myself to work out, but when you add additional friction layers (driving and coordinating class times), excuses start to surface. And now that we have two kids, I can do a ride when the kids are napping. 

When you reduce the friction, the desired behavior is likely to occur.

You must also remember that 40-60% of our day is habitual. Our thinking and actions are automatic. And our brain is wired to conserve energy.  

Before you ask a person for a new behavior, consider how to reduce the friction so it will be easy for them to take action. 

6. Commit to 1-2 Measurable Behaviors 

When I was 245 lbs and weighed myself daily, I thought the scale would never move and that I had to live with this as my new reality. 

I felt stuck because I was measuring the outcome and not the behavior.

Companies make the same mistake by focusing on the goal and failing to identify the daily and weekly behaviors determining the outcome.  

I found confidence in measuring to see if I did my 3 HIIT classes in a week and drinking a protein drink once a day. This was something I had control over. And I backed off on obsessing over the scale. 

What two key behaviors will lead to your desired result? Keep in mind the 80/20 rule. 80% of our outcomes will come from 20% of our results. 

What are one or two things that, if we measure, will produce our outcome?

Be patient and measure yourself from where you are to where you used to be. 

7. Celebrate Small Wins 

Our minds are naturally in fear mood 

  • What’s wrong? 
  • We don’t have enough time. 
  • This won’t work. 

The antidote is identifying daily progress. 

Showing progress builds momentum and helps maintain confidence. 

Momentum is real. Any sports fan can provide several examples. 

When initiating a new change, it is critical to highlight some wins in the first couple of weeks to show that the change is possible and working. 

I have created a job aid that tracks daily and weekly wins.

It is amazing how the energy shifts in a meeting when you start it, with everyone going around the room sharing their biggest win for the week. 

Winning is contagious. 

8. Adopt the New Identity

When I started cycling in 2019, I did it mainly to lose weight. 

I never thought I’d now see myself as a cyclist. But that is exactly what has happened. 

Even though I already attained my weight loss goal, I continue to cycle because I assumed a new identity. 

Many employees saw themselves as having to go to a physical office to get work done. When the pandemic hit, they were forced to work from home, learn new communication skills, and stay focused. Many employees now see themselves as a teleworker. 

It is important to reinforce that change is inevitable and that even though we are “creatures of habit,” we can learn, adapt, and grow. 

In doing so, we start to see and think of ourselves as highly capable people who can rise to the unknown challenges of the future. 

By Eric Papp

Change Management Speaker

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