The Emotional Edge of Change Management

One of my guiding principles until a few short months ago was to leave emotions out. Whether I like it or not, I garnered a reputation for being… less than empathetic. To me, success meant moving forward at all costs. Tears, frustrations, problems be damned. We must charge ahead. I always felt that the emotional component of problem-solving created an unnecessary gap in the process. A messiness that did way more harm than good.

I still believe in the principle of movement. I love change a lot more than many people I know. But it costs so much when you charge blindly ahead without considering the natural resistance and loss that invariably happens.

In the disruptive world of marketing and communications, we often find ourselves at a crossroads - at a gap. On one side is the familiar path, paved with established processes and well-trodden strategies. Conversely, the communications industry and its clientele are uncharted territory of new approaches and innovative ideas.

The question is, how do we bridge this gap? How do we lead our teams through the resistance barrier and into the realm of creative adaptability?

Why Change Is Hard

The resistance to change is not unique to any one industry. It's a universal challenge that we, as leaders, must confront head-on. Teams get comfortable with the tried and tested, and embracing new approaches and strategies is challenging. It's common for skepticism to rear its head, creating palpable doubt.

This is the resistance barrier—a formidable challenge that demands our attention. When left unaddressed, it can lead to creative stagnation, where the familiar becomes a straitjacket, stifling growth and missed opportunities for innovation.

Holding the Tension

So, what can we do as leaders to navigate this treacherous terrain? Hold the tension in place. In the context of resistance to change, it means acknowledging and validating the concerns and discomfort of our team members as they grapple with new approaches.

This can look like a conversation where team members are encouraged to voice their reservations, skepticism, and fears without fear of judgment. These open dialogues create a safe space where concerns are not brushed aside but explored and understood.

The outcome? People feel heard and valued, and resistance starts to melt away. The environment becomes conducive to change, reducing the risk of stagnation.

Creating a Sense of Urgency

Sometimes, the mess has to happen by turning up the heat. It's about kindling a sense of urgency and the imperative need for change. This is where real-world data, examples, and external trends come into play. They act as the fuel that ignites the team to get uncomfortable and challenge the status quo - or not change and have the work suffer.

This can look like sharing industry-specific insights, market research, or compelling case studies that vividly illustrate the consequences of sticking to the status quo. You highlight how competitors or other organizations have reaped the benefits of change. How they’re barreling toward a finish line while you’re humming in place.

The result? Team members may realize the significance of adaptation. Motivated by the evidence, they are more likely to embrace new approaches, avoiding the pitfall of missed opportunities for innovation.

Addressing Fears Head-On

Finally, we must tackle an often-overlooked aspect of resistance—the fear of losing something valuable. Change can be scary because it may mean bidding farewell to a familiar process or a sense of security.

Ronald Heifetz says it most pointedly:

“You know the adage: ‘People resist change.’ It’s not really true. People are not stupid. People love change when they know it’s a good thing. No one gives back a winning lottery ticket. What people resist is not change, per se, but loss. When change involves real or potential loss, people hold on to what they have and resist change.”

To mitigate this, adaptive leaders must facilitate discussions about what their people perceive as losses in transitioning to new approaches. They are supposed to help the team find ways to replace these losses with unique benefits.

Think of it as a negotiation, where concerns are met with solutions. By addressing and managing these losses, leaders chip away at the emotional barriers to change. When their problems are considered, team members become more open to embracing new approaches.

So now I try to embrace the emotions, the mess. If it's uncomfortable, there’s often a there there. If tensions are high, I want to try to hold them in a safe container. Because change is right around the corner.

Change can be our communications compass.