If you’re lucky, you have a few others in your organization that thrive on change. The more there are, the easier it is to make changes and get them to stick. If you’re really lucky, you have those that thrive on change and are also cheerleaders. These people become natural encouragers for others to follow along more quickly. For example, they talk about how much easier the new software is to use instead of complaining about how it’s different than the old version and doesn’t work the same.
Now the bad news. There are also probably a few who are change resistant in your company. These are the employees that resist change to the point of death or job termination (whichever comes first). Unfortunately, these employees are also typically very vocal. Their complaining around the coffee pot drags the majority in the middle further to the right. After all, “Joe has been here a long time and if he doesn’t like it, it must be a bad idea, right?”
It’s not until an employee has been around a couple of years that they realize that Joe actually doesn’t like anything. By then they’ve already been poisoned, it’s too late. Unfortunately, it’s not unusual that these employees also are holders of key process knowledge. They’ve been around a long time doing things the old way. Quite possibly, they’ve survived more than one leadership transition.
Because these “change resisters” tend to be vocal, business leaders tend to give them an inordinate amount of attention to get them to “buy in.” However, because they ARE resistant, it is not likely that you will ever make significant progress moving them.
Think about this. What if you spent the same amount of time and energy encouraging the majority in the middle through their change curve? Reducing the majority from 18 months to 6 months or less can have a huge impact on your organization. The time you spend as a business leader is the same. The results are multiplied by the far larger number of employees that are willing to change given the needed time and support. That’s leverage.
Remember, as the CEO/President/Leader or your company or organization, your time is the single most important, nonrenewable resource in your organization. Protect it and leverage it whenever possible. Recognizing the differences in change acceptance within your team can help you apply your limited resources where they can do the most good and maximize your performance in this changing world.