If there are two things people hate, it’s change, and the way things are. I recently heard this quote and it really hit the nail on the head. There have been so many books written on change that the subject can feel overwhelming, but it certainly isn’t going away. There will always be forces pushing for change and forces pushing back against it.

A few years ago, I read an article in the Harvard Business Review entitled “All Management Is Change Management.” The author made the case that we live in a state of constant, rapid improvement and in this environment, change isn’t anything “special.” It is no longer a big deal, but instead, it should be part of your daily routine. The process of change is ongoing and ordinary. It has to become the essence of how we live.¹

I like the idea of shifting our mind-set about change. Change isn’t some remarkable disruptive event. It just is. It’s a constant feature of our world. It’s not going anywhere. So we need to respond by making sure a healthy attitude about change is woven into the fabric of our everyday lives.

A good analogy is the outdated notion of “going on a diet.” We all know that we can’t “go on” a diet because that implies that at a later date we’ll “go off” the diet. If that happens we will never be able to sustain weight loss. Instead, it’s much more sustainable to adopt a healthy lifestyle. No peaks and no valleys, just a constant striving toward healthy choices. The same is true of our approach to change. We have to commit to nonstop forward motion, every day, otherwise we fall behind.

So how do you make change part of your culture and part of the ongoing way you work? The key is to put formal processes in place to ensure it becomes part of the everyday routine. A few suggestions:

• Change your language. Stop thinking (and talking) about change as some big, overwhelming event. Start thinking (and talking) “continuous improvement” or even “evolution.” You’re figuring out how to get better and better, and that’s a good thing.
• Make it one of your company’s values to question all processes. Never stop looking for ways to make them better. And think small. There is always room to make small, incremental improvements. These really add up over time.
• Hold people accountable for making ongoing improvements. Make sure all employees are responsible for identifying ways to make things better. They are on the ground and more intimately familiar with processes and will be able to notice things you won’t. Give them good examples of what you are looking for. For example, you might help them recognize and act on growth opportunities. Improvements can also come from people learning new skills or finding new ways to show value to customers or expand a service offering. When they get really intentional about new ways of looking at customer needs, new ways of delivering customer service, or new ways of strengthening customer interactions, the ideas really begin to flow.
• Develop a process for collecting ideas. How will the ideas be gathered and evaluated? Create a clear system for how “changes” will be implemented.
• Keep an action log of ideas. Fill it with things that seem inefficient or that you’d like to improve. It’s often easier to spot these in the heat of the moment or when things are going wrong. Jot them down as they happen. Look for reworks, time wasters, or frustrating processes. Those are often easy to revise and you get some quick wins.
• Reward ideas. What gets rewarded gets repeated. Rewards don’t always have to be monetary. Even if it’s just a thank you note or public praise, people love feeling rewarded and recognized and will continue taking action to get that good feeling again. The positive reinforcement is training them to keep on thinking about improvements and innovations.
• Celebrate small wins. Reward and recognize big successes. Maybe a measurable improvement occurs, or you sign on a big new account, or you get some praise from a happy customer. Anytime there’s a chance to say thank you to a senior leader, a department, or the whole company, take it. Positive reinforcement is a powerful driver for change.

This is a win-win strategy. Once people have shifted their thinking about change, they’ll start to see results. They’ll get excited about their new track record of innovating and improving. And before you know it you will see that you’ve accomplished something every business owner seeks: employees who are highly engaged. They’ve become owners, not renters.

Implement these steps and you’ll be well on your way to being a high-performing organization. But as mentioned earlier, there’s another related topic that needs to be addressed: pushback. To a certain degree pushback is normal and natural. But there will sometimes be people who are adamantly opposed to change and you need a strategy for dealing with them.

Don’t Let Change-Resistant People Block Progress

Most organizations, whether private, not for profit, or government, have people with many years of experience in their most senior positions. This experience has a benefit and a downside. The benefit lies in the senior leader’s ability to handle situations, their track record of good performance, and the presence of skills that have been developed over time. The downside is that, due to past success, the leader may be reluctant and at times resistant to adapting to a different way of doing things. This resistance to change often leads to an organization that does not keep up with shifting employee and customer needs.

For many years I owned an outcomes firm specializing in process improvement. We were usually hired when the top person in the organization saw a need to get better, had tried doing it their way, were not seeing the results they wanted, and finally became willing to move into the uncomfortable world of change. Why? Because they believed that achieving results was more important than their comfort. These are the “walk the talk” leaders.

So when the top leader would bring us in, here is what usually happened: the top leader would explain that they were hiring us to move performance in certain areas. Most senior leaders who reported to the CEO knew of us, and a few were the ones who were not getting the results. The top leader would explain that this would mean some changes. For example, there would be more measurement of employee engagement, productivity, quality, and customer service. A new leader evaluation tool would now be used to evaluate performance and there would be more accountability. There would be a mandatory increase in leadership development. There would be more transparency. While there were more changes, these were the items that impacted the senior leadership the most.

As you might have guessed, some of the senior leaders were concerned about all the changes. At times they would even try to convince the top leader not to hire us. However, the middle managers and the hourly employees were happy about the changes. They liked the fact that they were going to be surveyed and asked for their input on everything from supervisor feedback to recognition to work environment.

The managers liked that they would have clear goals—which took the politics out of performance reviews—and would receive 64 hours of development. Being a manager is very hard. They were happy that we wanted to help them do their job better. Employees felt good for the same reasons. They liked being able to give input to decision makers. They liked being rounded on by their supervisor to see what is going well and what is needed to do their job. They particularly liked being involved in hiring their coworkers.

My experience is that change is hardest on the people at the top. It means changing methods they have used for years and habits that have become deeply engrained. It also means adjusting to the reality that, in many ways, they will get worse before they get better. Here are some tips for helping top leaders cope with change and dealing with pushback at all areas of the organization:

• First, get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Creative tension is what Peter Senge, the author of The Fifth Discipline, describes as the space that exists between where people are now and where they want to go. I went to one of his conferences years ago, and he said people know where they are, they know where they need to go, and in between is discomfort. No one likes to be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of growth.
• Like change itself, creative tension and pushback are normal. Get comfortable with them and help employees get comfortable as well. Leaders who know how to manage these aspects of change have a much greater chance of success.
• Meet one-on-one with each direct report. Share where the company is going, the changes you plan to make, and that you’re 100 percent committed to making them. Explain you need them to be 100 percent on board (and if needed share what this looks like). Ask what percent on board they are, and if less than 100, discuss what it will take to get them there. Share that if they cannot be 100 percent committed by a certain time, they must leave the organization. Usually most get on board. If this leads to an exit, it is likely good for all concerned.
• Share with senior leaders that you realize change is hard. Tell them that you, like they, will be uncomfortable—however, you and they must role model the change for others. Just acknowledging this can make a big difference.
• Take time to explain the why to them and the entire organization. Nothing is more powerful than knowing the reasons behind the change you’re being asked to make. Whether it’s to make life better for customers, to improve performance and profitability, or (and this is usually the case) both, understanding why keeps people motivated as they push through discomfort to learn new skills and override old habits. This is true not just for your senior leaders but for middle managers and all employees, so communicate the why over and over again.
• Don’t take pushback personally. Seek to provide clarity. Pushback may have nothing to do with the proposed task. It can very well be the person is trying to figure out how they will be affected. They could be pondering “what’s in it for me?” They could be feeling anxiety or fear. Let’s say I work for a company that is about to roll out a new piece of technology that is supposedly going to speed up our processes, increase productivity and profitability. Sounds great, right? But before I get too excited, I’m going to want to know:

• Is there a chance I could lose my job?
• Will this new technology reduce my hours?
• Will my job change?
• If it does change, will there be training?
• How much time will I get to adjust?
• What if I can’t adjust?

• It’s best if you can answer all these questions right away or if not, let them know why right away. Transparency and clarity will go a long way toward acceptance.
• Expect your best employees to push back. Why? They are high performers. So, change will mean they will regress a bit until they understand the new process. Meet with and share with them that you know change is difficult, things will get worse for a while, but you have confidence in them and you need them to role model how to handle the change.
• Don’t lower the bar. A leader’s job is to make sure the tension is not so great the employees give up. There are two ways for the tension to be reduced: One is to lower the performance bar. You have heard complaints before, such as “There is too much on our plates.” “We have too many priorities.” “Everyone is unhappy.” Of course, a leader could lower the bar to address complaints, but the company wouldn’t last long after they did so. The second way is to motivate your employees to close the gap between where they are and where they need to be. More difficult than lowering the bar? Of course. But it always pays off in the end.
• Don’t declare victory too soon. I’ve seen many companies bring in outside consultants to help them improve performance. Due to the cost of these outside experts, an increased level of attention and accountability is brought to the table. The experts suggest tactics and initiatives, these organizations implement them, and either nail their desired results or come close to achieving them. This is when they declare victory. Eventually, over time, the intensity that led to the achievement fades away. The spotlight begins to shift to other areas. This is when slippage starts. If not checked, it can lead to a regression and a tumble back to the original starting point.
• That’s not even the worst part. The worst part comes later, when another initiative begins and employees know it won’t last. It didn’t before so why should it this time? And those people who don’t want any change at all have had their resistance reinforced. They’ll wait this one out, too, and tell their coworkers “I told you so” after quick gains are followed by a gradual slip.

Change is challenging but not impossible. Most times you can teach an old dog new tricks. Research shows the brain has an incredible ability to learn, master new skills, and make new connections even at an advanced age. I’ve seen many seasoned leaders change their behaviors and habits in positive ways and have seen big improvements made inside companies. Approach change the right way and you’ll be amazed by the success that can happen.