Resistance levels, change programs

Last month, Rangaraj finally decided to do something about his stiff lower back. He has been living with it for many years. Varying degrees of stiffness and pain, but always there - a nagging problem that needs addressing, but not a burning health issue that one cannot ignore. Over the past few years, he has made attempts to learn and practice yoga, tried some massage therapies, and such. Each time, the attempt was half-hearted and short-lived.

The pain finally forced him to seek help. He found a famous chiropractor and went out there. The first painful week of releasing stiff muscles was followed by exercise sessions, gradually increasing in intensity, and engaging more parts of his body.

Rangaraj was enthusiastic. He had finally chosen to 'do something' about the back, so felt virtuous. The reduction in pain showed him the possibility of a flexible, supple back, and the opportunity to go about his life with less pain. So, he plunged into the regime with commitment, keen to follow the instructions and learn the exercises.

Every feedback from the chiropractor was treated as a revelation 'he showed me how stiff my back was, I couldn't lift my feet beyond 30 degrees, he says it should go 90!' 'He showed me how little I can bend'. The possible range of movement proved to be a good goal post - 'I want to achieve the 90-degree leg lift' and so on. It was all very exciting, the going was good.

Till he hit some hurdles, a weak neck meant that crunches caused problems rather than solving them. A holiday and travel came in between. A bout of cold and fever took away all the progress, and exercise stopped. He had to put all his attention into recovering from the illness, there was no energy or motivation to continue even a minimal exercise regime.

I watched the 'transformation' unfold, progress with great speed and success, and then slow down, and hit pause. It may pick up steam again, or he may slide back to the comfortable, painful, but 'no action' old state.

I compared this to change interventions in organizations that I have been part of. Sometimes a driver of the change, sometimes an unwilling participant, sometimes the consultant who works with the CEO and CXO, holding their hands through the desired change.

CEOs and CXOs I figured are all like Rangaraj (I don't mean male, silly).

They often know that weak spot, that problem in their business that needs attention, but that which is not urgent. They live with it, they design around it, and they tolerate it. They know they need to do something, just not now - many burning issues need their attention.

Sometimes, like Rangaraj, they display a desire to address it, even making efforts to initiate changes/corrections.

The deeper the issue, like Rangaraj's back, the longer it takes to correct. One needs to put in effort on many fronts, not all of it easy or pleasant- not just half an hour of exercise. Posture, diet, what he did when he was tense, the way he lifted loads, and of course exercise...

Try correcting the wrong postures developed over the years!

For these CEOs too, correction involved changing on many fronts. For deep-rooted and sustained change, unpleasant and difficult actions are almost always necessary - this includes unpopular decisions too. It meant cajoling, it meant enthusing, and sometimes taking the stick, to drive the change.

Most of all, it meant staying motivated, staying focused, and continuing to prioritize - will you continue to exercise your back for 15 minutes when you are traveling? Will you add exercises to strengthen that neck along with the back?

It is not easy. Most of the time, it is easier to make excuses to oneself, to give up the change efforts and go on with life. Like Rangaraj, the CEO can continue to run the business, working around the problem area, without correcting it. They have managed for so long that they have good techniques to draw upon, to 'manage'

As a change agent and consultant for change and transformation, I have worked with leaders who desire to make the change.

The start is always great. The initial wins fuel further enthusiasm. Early improvements are always possible. The first wave of transformation, the initial projects, are all successful. With good design and strong implementation, many of the interventions get embedded into the DNA of the business. And that feels good all around. Everyone gets into a congratulatory mode. I am lauded and told how good a consultant I am...

But as I go deeper, and start talking about postural corrections and lifting loads right, I know I am asking for difficult, unpleasant, and even boring actions. This is when the change program starts slowing down. Unless the leader is truly committed to correcting that bad back permanently. Conversations change. I am asked for more interventions that build 'positive energy', asked to find ways to achieve better 'buy-in'. Told why some of the deeper changes will hurt the business and should not be done in a hurry.

I have two choices - continue to teach 'exercises' and stoke the belief of progress, or hold the mirror and show that further success needs deeper change.

I am a bit of an idealist. I hold the mirror and often walk away if the desire to make deeper changes doesn't exist.

Having seen this pattern, I have learned to chunk the transformation journey into phases and modules so that the easy ones are up-front and the deeper ones are built on top of the initial wins, with the hope that change begets change.

The second thing I have learnt to do is to build a band of 'change-advocates' within the organization. This helps keep the leader motivated, offer support when he has to drive the harder changes, serve as 'yae-sayers' to the rest of the organization.

With these two techniques, I have been able to succeed to varying degrees with various clients. However, I have yet to end a project where the change achieved equals the 'transformation' desired at the start.

So, I have learned to read the signals. And, like stock traders, I exit when I hit the resistance level; because I know it will not improve beyond this.

If you are a leader reading this, ponder for a moment. How do you successfully move beyond the first point of resistance to drive enduring corrections in your system?

If you are an individual, ponder too. In your own life, some patterns need to change. Do you shirk from the painful and tough changes you need to make? Are you like me and my resolutions about eating right? Or do you do a better job of it? Do you offer yourself excuses and justifications? How do you break through and change?

BTW in case you are wondering about Rangaraj, this time he is like a man on a mission. He has been sticking to the exercise regime, making deeper changes, more mindful of his posture...

I plan to visit his chiropractor, to take tips on driving change.

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