Why is it so Hard to Make and Sustain Changes in Our Teams?

In any business, there comes a time when things need to change. It can be a major pivot in the overall industry, or a change in the process, focus, or culture, but regardless we’ve all faced a need to change. We also know that ignoring the need for change is rarely a good idea. But while we know and want change in our business, getting it started and sustained can be frustrating.  So why is it just so hard to make and maintain changes?

The Basics:  

Everyone one of us craves the familiar. We often call it a comfort zone because it’s predictable, even if we know something needs to change.  It’s normal and it’s how we are all wired. We find comfort and security in the predictability of our routines, procedures, approaches, and organizational cultures.  That said, we’re all different and some people are more adept at changing things up, but not everyone is that way. No matter what the change is about, all change pushes against the familiar and acts as resistance or friction. The idea of change or motion towards it initiates an internal alarm bell as a potential threat to the familiar or routine. 

All change requires repetition, reinforcement, and clarity to stick. You are stretching and replacing the old comfort zone with a new version of familiarity until our behaviors, attitudes, bodies, and outlooks can be sustained.  This is the core principle we are encountering and explains why resistance arises and why maintaining changes in your team is challenging.

Vision and Purpose:

Before initiating any change, create a clear vision and purpose. I know that everyone says this, making changes, just for the sake of changing is demotivating, wasteful, and confusing to your team. If you feel it’s important to change something, then be prepared to articulate the specific objectives, benefits, and reasons for the proposed changes.  When employees understand the reasons and the purpose and can see how it aligns with the goals, they are much more likely to embrace the work involved in the change. Take heart, your most highly invested or engaged staff probably already know things need to change or improve.

Communication and Expectations:

Effective communication is a cornerstone of any successful change. Create a mechanism that includes regular updates and an opportunity for your team to contribute and see progress. Caution, do this in a manner appropriate for your team. Be wary of creating unnecessary meetings, but establish predictable reporting and feedback opportunities and connect your reporting to key objectives. Ongoing dialogue and awareness will reinforce confidence in the plan and reduce anxiety about change.  Keep this idea in mind. You are working to create new comfort zones and changing these (it will not be comfortable) and your leadership is critical to the success.  

Communicating the direction and reason creates a sense of purpose and motivation, and starts to overcome initial resistance to the change. 

You Need to Change Too:

Avoid making this mistake  Don’t make your team the enemy. Chances are you hired them, or have led them for a while. Like it or not, they are yours. Is it entirely their fault things need to change?  If you’re new to your team, then there is a good chance that you are now the leader they need.  

Change happens and sometimes it needs to be dramatic, but the goal for change is to improve and move the organization forward not place blame. 

If your team or company has a bad culture, poor processes, or is entrenched in “this is how we have always done it” then look in the mirror and be honest about your role as the leader.  It’s a privilege to lead others and you may find that your team and organization have been waiting, yearning for more and better from you.  Again, if you’re new, avoid looking back but create a path to something better and bigger.

Making and sustaining changes in your team is hard, but it is also a new opportunity for growth. If you approach it with these perspectives, who knows what amazing transformations and growth are hidden and are just waiting to be released?