Change is almost certain to upset people when it’s forced on them. If you’re in a position where you have to impose change on someone else, giving them some form of choice can help make the medicine easier to swallow.
Picture: Nana B Agyel/Flickr
Whether you’re a manager changing direction for your company, or a parent that has to move your kids to a new home and school, change is always hard to pitch. As author Liz Keever explains, leaving some kind of option — even if the overall shift is still mandatory — can make people more willing to give your changes a chance. It also helps them feel like they’re part of the process of making the change happen, rather than having it thrust upon them:
Change cannot happen to people. It needs to happen with people. Change must be co-created. Everyone should have some say in how the change is implemented. It is their job and their life. Let them have an element of control. If you keep lines of communication open for suggestions, you will hear lots of good ideas from the people who need to make the change happen. Use those ideas because it will build more engagement in the process. Create the change together.
In many cases, people are more resistant to change because they feel they’re not in control rather than disliking the thing itself. Involving your employees, coworkers or family makes the process much easier.
3 Ways to Motivate Change [LinkedIn via 99u]
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