Here's how you can navigate employee expectations and emotions during change effectively.

On a personal level, change can feel daunting. As leaders, we need to focus on the fact that every employee is different and adjust our engagement styles to help create trust ("buy-in") and reassurance. One of the family quotes that I didn't appreciate until I was older is that "you have to be interested and interesting". This quote might sound basic, but it has helped me through countless challenging situations and change programs. You can't just talk at someone if you expect to make an impact, you need to make the change feel personal and relatable. If you can master this concept, you can approach any situation with an engaged and empathetic mindset to build trust with your team.

Quoting Kotter: "People change what they do less because they are given analysis that shifts their thinking than because they are shown a truth that influences their feelings.” Hence, his change model follows a See-Feel-Change pattern: - Make the need to change real by telling compelling stories rather than simply providing data and facts. - Do not wait to communicate what is happening to your teams. Use simple, heartfelt communication that also addresses the anxieties people may have. - Let employees express how they feel, even if they are expressing negative emotions. If people feel safe to express their true feelings, it means they trust you to help them. - Ensure small wins are celebrated.

In my experience, I’ve experienced similar situations. People want to be heard period. Huge concept if you want change to happen.

I can think of the pointers as stated below: 1.Clear Communication: Regularly update employees on changes to ensure transparency. 2.Employee Involvement: Engage employees in the change process to reduce resistance. 3.Support and Resources: Provide necessary training and resources to facilitate adaptation. 4.Acknowledge Emotions: Recognize and validate employees' feelings, offering empathy and support 5.Lead by Example: Demonstrate commitment to the change and support your team through the transition.

Having a strong and clear narrative - which is build after good deliberation by leadership and maintaining it across the change is key . Ambiguity leads to anxiety as we are dealing with employees and their way of life and future , even in a small way . And then clear , consistent and continuous communication of the same narrative - top down and then through change champions and key employees and managers - can help drive the change more effectively and impact employees aligning and adapting more positively .

This is an interesting bit, some aspects need to be clear to start with such as - Why we're doing this, Why now we're doing this, What if we don't, what's in it for me (WIIFM), etc.

Employees need to be made aware of a range of support options that can be provided to them. But they should also be given the option, of identifying the support options they or the team may benefit from. This shift in focus can help employees feel more in control, during a change process that they may feel removes their agency or control. This can help reduce stress, and may be more supportive.

Involve employees as early as possible in the change process so that they have the chance to provide valuable insights and ideas, which ideally leads to a higher level of commitment. Invite employees to come up with ideas for pilot projects in order to test certain things and form project teams for those pilots, in which employees (and not the managers) are responsible. At the same time, allow those project teams to make decisions related to their areas of expertise and / or define a scope of action for decision-making.

Of the points discussed in this article, adaptability is my favorite. It is a skill that enables you to swiftly assess and respond to any situation. This level of awareness also empowers you to act with empathy. While your solution may not be flawless, expressing empathy conveys the value you place on the employee as an individual. Maya Angelou's words, "...people will NEVER FORGET how you made them feel" show that we must not underestimate the impact of our actions on others.

A change leader successfully navigates and manages emotions by engaging people's hearts, not just by understanding their needs and communicating facts and data. In "The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations," John Kotter and Dan Cohen identify 3 limitations of relying solely on facts or analysis to motivate change. First, analysis is often unnecessary for knowing a situation is bad. Second, in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment, analytical tools can be limited as requirements shift rapidly. Third, even the most insightful analysis rarely garners commitment among people. When leaders deliver the message in a way that grabs them by the heart, change happens faster.

Just adopt the ADKAR model and understand change occurs at the individual level. This rings true even where enterprise wide change is required. Move people out of the resistance zoo into adopters and champions of change.