The Change Myth

Navigating through the Carolina Beach inlet, I noticed a four-foot surf roaring between the channel markers, an area that had been safe passage just a few weeks before. Since then, a nor’easter had shifted the sand, so the channel was now dangerous. Even though I knew I had to go outside the channel buoys to be safe, I found it challenging to do so. Obviously, the rational option was to leave the channel and move into the deeper water outside the markers, but I felt myself hanging on to the old way—even though it held the potential for the destruction of my boat. Worse, I was wasting precious time which only increased the risk of failure. Eventually, I mustered enough courage, steered outside the channel into calmer deeper water, and made safe passage through the inlet. ?

“Given a similar set of circumstances, people tend to act the same way

?over and over and over again.”

James N. Farr Ph.D. “The definition of psycho-logic.”

A few years ago, a client was initiating a new business process whereby they could make larger loans more efficiently with less risk, an obviously logical change. Executive management rolled out the plan well, over-communicating and using a sophisticated change-management process. Even so, a small group of key individuals found it difficult to adopt the change. The company’s president asked me to come in and figure out what was going on. After a series of listening sessions, I got beneath the surface and quite to my surprise found that they weren’t resisting the new process at all; they understood it and thought it was a good idea. Instead, this “resistant” group of good employees had a strong quality orientation and were fearful they couldn’t deliver the same level of quality they had for years. What stopped them wasn’t the idea of a better process but their fear of making mistakes because the “guardrails” had changed. The thought of delivering off-quality performance instead of what the company had relied upon them for years violated their identity. Until the president gave them permission to make and learn from errors quickly, they unconsciously chose not to change their minds and behavior.

There is a widely-held myth that a leader can change people’s behavior. They can’t. Leaders can communicate, listen, make suggestions, and act as the president did in the scenario above. However, all human beings are “volitional,” which is a fancy word for saying they make their own choices. They, not the leader, decide how to think and behave. Bill Clark, CEO of Clark Leadership in Baltimore, MD, and owner of multiple businesses over the years says he learned this lesson a few years ago but wished he had known it much earlier in his career. In short, consciously or unconsciously, people choose what they do or don’t do.? For this reason, changing long-established patterns of behavior is, at best, challenging and requires self and other awareness. The challenge is getting an associate to elect to change their own mind and behavior.

Regardless of how evidently rational the change is, the leader is not in charge of the change, the follower is. But there are actions the leader and follower can intentionally take to speed change.

Leader’s Responsibility

Create Clarity: Without clarity, a follower will not know how they should change their behavior. This clarity must start with executive management, but every leader all the way to the front-line must deeply understand the needed change. No excuses. All must understand “why” the change is being made and the consequences of not doing so.? Kevin Sowers, President of Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore, MD pointed out that he uses facts to “show” the why.? Further, in my experience, those asked to change must also understand the challenges associated with the change being asked of them, and leaders must be committed to coaching (not pushing) their associates to adopt a new way of working. A significant part of creating clarity is listening and not over-talking as many managers do when meeting resistance. To fully understand and address the concerns of associates, a leader must engage in dialogue and listen more, not less.

Provide Coaching: The most effective leaders work hard to create clarity (understanding). A considerable part of this is listening to understand what’s going on in the follower’s head. These leaders then position themselves as positive coaches helping associates by respectfully pointing out on-purpose (aligned) and off-purpose (misaligned) behavior. Foundational to this is what Baker Glasgow, CEO of Clancy and Theys Construction based in Raleigh, NC believes, that it is very important to recognize past contributions and performance before moving forward.? By doing so, associates will tend to see that feedback from a leader is positively intended and that their boss is helping them adapt to be more professionally successful. Giving feedback on “off-purpose” (misaligned) behavior is extremely challenging for most leaders. (Leaders must never withdrawal out of fear, get angry or overtly frustrated when coaching, as this will only slow change and perhaps lead to their demise in the long run.) If feedback is not given accurately and promptly, the stage is set for the next and even more difficult leadership responsibility.

Remove the overly resistant: Having worked hard to clarify and communicate the new way of working and providing coaching with timely honest feedback, leaders may find that some followers will still not choose to change. At some point these people must be respectfully moved to a new position or asked to leave the organization. Avoiding a tough leadership decision by placing people in a different position has inherent risks and must be done thoughtfully. Letting people go is hard for most managers, but if creating clarity and providing coaching are done well, in my experience this third step becomes much less likely.

Followership, just like leadership, is a challenging skill to master!

Follower’s Responsibility

Seek Alignment: Clarity is hard to achieve and rests not only on the boss’s shoulders. As a follower, you are responsible for working hard to quickly understand new expectations and change behavior as appropriate. You should ask for regular dialogue and discussion with your boss. Never feel shy about asking for their time to ask questions about how to be more in alignment with the new direction. Instead of trying to hide your confusion, always surface what you don’t understand; only a lousy boss will think you are stupid for doing so. The best will greatly appreciate your effort to understand so you can become more aligned and on-purpose for the enterprise. Engaging your boss in this way will almost always cause them to trust you and your performance more.

Be Curious: When a leader gives feedback on off-purpose behavior, it’s easy to become fearful and defensive. This fear is usually based on the apprehension that the boss will think you are incompetent. The fact is that everyone is going to be incompetent when learning to work differently. Instead of getting defensive and worrying about what your supervisor thinks of you, choose to become curious. Hope Bryant, Vice Chairwoman of First Citizens Bank based in Raleigh, NC feels that the ability to stay curious is a critical success factor. Instead of being defensive, ask clarifying questions to ensure you understand a leader’s coaching. Remember that their positive intent is to help you be even more successful. Also, remember to ask for help early from your leader and others in the organization. This practice is a sign of your commitment to success.

Have Courage: Courage is not the absence of fear; it is not letting fear control our decisions and behavior. New actions, by definition, operate outside of standard behaviors and are perceived as “unproven.” Fear of change and the new and unfamiliar is likely related to a fear of being considered incompetent, not being liked by others, or not measuring up to expectations. Recognize the fear, feel it, and choose to be on-purpose (fully aligned). If needed, seek reassurance from your boss. When the anxiety you are feeling is tied to performing the new requirements for success, it is what we call “creative tension” and a sign you are supporting the enterprise and choosing to experience success and a better future.

I hope this has been helpful to you. I suggest you pass this article on to your team and have an in-depth discussion, then make agreements to work as suggested. If you would like one of our consultants to help you and your organization with change, please get in touch with Kim McFarland at [email protected] .?