The email about change I've always wanted to send.

To my leadership team,

(and all those teams who have the noble responsibility to drive change in times of adversity)

I know that our company put you all through this without you asking for it. I can just imagine what it would be like to confront a daily reality of driving a business which the only guaranteed survival is the revenue-driven performance of your teams. I really struggle to even push your limits to see the "brighter side of things." This is personal to you and your ability to continue leading people through the unknown. This is perhaps more personal to your people who might even be facing the possibilities of a layoff. But I am your change manager for a reason: this is also personal to me because I can help you bring out beauty from what seems to be a mess. I am here for you and for your people, acting on your behalf, while you are (as you should be) focused on keeping the business from failing. I am here to help you see how you are making it too hard on yourself trying to lead this change thing, and I want to ask you:

Would you consider another way? 

Our ability to cope with change depends upon each person's level of hope that the unknown can become tangible before it's even timely. As you all pointed out in today's meeting, through our project planning we have the ability to pursue a better way. We might as well be committed with mitigating the consequences of our decisions and actions with this deployment. But after this meticulous planning you want to achieve -- adapting to all of it is an individual journey no one can strictly interfere with, and to that effect I ask you:

Isn’t it exactly that individual adaptation what we are aiming for?

There is a quote that says

“change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have, and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving up”

I honestly feel like in our effort to have the "perfect plan" this team is still mentally stuck at that juncture of “estimating.” As if the more options you all come up with, the less confident in your plan you become. And while I recognize that we have made tons of progress logistically, when I see us trying so hard to drive much certainty and perfection with the plan, I take away not that we want this to be an awesome/ inspiring thing, but rather a protection shield that anticipates something will go wrong with big consequences at stake. I wonder if we have yet talked about what is at jeopardy that could concern you with inevitable failure at this point – so I ask you:

Is that a conversation worth having?

I get it that this is in essence, as any other change, a huge leap of faith from a leadership standpoint to make your teams and your business successful, beyond the timeline, and milestones, and budget. Yet in my humble opinion, if success is what you are after, this leadership team must do one thing, and one thing only: get out there and represent a genuine symbolism for “hope” that the rest of your teams can believe for sure there is room for them in your picture. You mentioned something about having a belief, right? As your change manager, here is what I believe: 

That in spite of the challenges and complexities we have to navigate, we have a one in a lifetime chance to turn our project into something special, fulfilling, and inspiring. I believe we have a unique time to make a difference and show people what resilience is all about, while we help them see this process with different eyes, and adapt, and become, and grow. I strongly believe that, while all the data we are compiling can help rationalize why we are doing what we are doing, it is “true purpose” the real WHY we are looking for to make it all make sense. And I ask you:

Why is this change bigger than yourselves?

I want to leverage courage from all of you the same, so we can drive a vision and prove that we were able to turn something undesirable into a breakthrough that goes beyond "the way we've always done things around here." It is a worthy path to spark something genuinely positive in your people to connect with and become willing to participate and take a stand by you – and that, in my view, is the best possible outcome you can ever get.

No need to agree nor disagree, though I am happy you made it through the end of this note to even slightly consider another way.

Your change manager,

-Lindsay