The fact that change is a constant is more true today than ever. What’s not so constant, however, is the way in which people adapt to change. Kathleen Osta, Success Authority and owner of Vital Clarity, facilitates change. Here’s what she says you should consider when it’s time to pivot.
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Linda Ruhland
Kathleen, you and I talked a little bit about pivoting, where we’re in a world of constant change that seems to be speeding up, and leaders need to know what and how to lead throughout this change and how and when to pivot. You were describing to me some tools that you use through your work and through your association. One being there is a process involved to this change that as leaders we need to be cognizant of if we’re going to be successful.
Kathleen Osta
Exactly right. Change is not new. But it’s a little like communication. I’ve never done a strategic planning session where communication wasn’t an issue. It’s what we all face. Change is the same way. What happens with change is it becomes fairly unconscious. So, there’s a process to make it more conscious so that you can be more effective in the way you move through it. And they are natural, normal phases. But we are blind to them because we don’t take the time to not only recognize the stages but then as an organization and a team, have some shared language. So, you can refer to it and know that you are both talking about the same thing.
Ruhland
Tell me about this natural process, these natural stages of change that you mentioned.
Osta
Oh, sure! Some people would already be familiar with them because, as I said, so many people have been through them. What we haven’t always done is stop and reflect on how did we get ourselves through that? What did we do, and where were our stumbling blocks? An initial response to a major change, this has a pretty bad rap, but it’s really a self-preserving response, is denial. You know, I think the big change that sort of shakes you at your roots, why wouldn’t you want to go into denial about it? The trick is to not stay stuck there. And to spend as little time as possible.
Denial is like saying, “I can’t handle the reality of this all at once because it’s too big. Knowing how you face that and what does it take to move you from denial to resistance, which doesn’t sound like much of a picnic either. But the truth is, when you’re in resistance, you’re at least acknowledging the change exists. Denial in its strongest form is like you can’t even talk about it. Now, it’s on a continuum, as well, and sometimes people continue with parts of the change, but not all parts. That’s why you can’t lockstep describe this process and you can’t lockstep, say, how long it will take people to go through it. That’s because it’s contingent upon the nature of the change and people’s past experience of change.
There are folks, and you know them, who are change hardy. It’s like, “Bring it on, I can handle it all!” Then there are other people who have had such bad experiences with change that they’re pretty reluctant and it’s going to take them a little longer. It’s about raising everyone’s awareness about what these phases are so we can all take responsibility for moving ourselves and helping each other move together.
It’s helpful for leadership to know for a number of reasons. The leadership has had time to adjust to it because they’ve designed it, and they probably went down a path or two of “No, this is not going to work. We’ve got to do this…” It’s a matter of leadership knowing it and how it was for them so that they build in the time that’s needed for people to catch up.
Ruhland
Are you finding that people in organizations that you work with make a lot of assumptions when it comes to moving forward in another direction?
Osta
Yeah, I think they tend to over-simplify it. Because they know the urgency, and they do feel a sense of urgency. It’s “Come on, we’ve got to get this done. We’ve got to shift because we have to stay competitive!” It is true that the individuals in organizations who are good at change are the ones who tend to be more successful. There are more cautionary tales about organizations that didn’t see the writing on the wall and where they landed. That’s why Blockbuster doesn’t exist anymore.
People do feel a sense of urgency, but forcing people isn’t going to work. If you want to make good use of your time, energy, and resources, you need to know which aspects of the change you can influence or control.
Ruhland
Given the fact that we’re human beings and we don’t respond predictably at the push of a button, there’s got to be a way in which we can educate and condition ourselves to be able to learn, adapt and flourish in this ocean of perpetual motion.
Osta
It’s a matter of gaining familiarity with the model, which you then make it your own. A model is what a model is. This is the predictable path of change. It isn’t always in sequence, but it more often is than not. Then, looking at your own culture, you’re saying “What do we know about past changes and how we’ve moved through them?” Making it your own by saying, “What are some of our go-to strategies?” Once you’re itching to move forward and start putting your toe in the water about, “Maybe this change is really going to be to our benefit.” You start seeing the possibilities. Then, you move into exploration where now you’re thinking, “Okay, this has some value. I may not be in complete love with it, but I can see now where it came from and why it makes some sense.”
In exploration, our wheels start turning about how to make it work. The danger in that zone is that you sometimes can get scattered and start exploring too many options. It’s a matter of staying focused and remembering what is the purpose of the change. What is it we’re out to do, and what is the nature of the change? You don’t want to lose your energy or disperse it too widely. But in exploration, the energy is better. You feel better about it and you see that there’s a place for you in this new world. Part of where the denial and resistance comes is that you can’t always see where you fit. And maybe you don’t have the confidence that you’ll be able to do the new thing that’s being called for. Once you’re in exploration, and when you’ve really made the leap, you’re now in commitment. It’s probably where you were before this major change hit. With commitment, you’re really feeling the juice, you know what needs to happen, and you’re there. In fact, once you’re in commitment, some folks are even ready for more change.
Ruhland
People need to take ownership of the change.
Osta
Yeah, but they might not be able to do that right away. Remember, where you are today, where most people are, you’ve had a hand in it. You have ownership of it. You helped create where you are today. When someone says, “Oh, by the way, we’re dropping that like a hot potato and we’re going over here,” people’s identity is tied up with where they’ve been. That’s why this in part is about managing human aspects of change. That’s why it makes sense, and I didn’t say what the key is, to make the shift from denial and resistance over to exploration and commitment. It’s doing some form of ritual. People say, “Ritual? What are you talking about?” We do rituals all the time in the workplace, and we do them in our lives. We just don’t think of them like that.
A ritual helps us recognize what has been, and say “goodbye” to it, so we can then say a good “hello” to the new. That’s where people can breathe again. “Okay, this was then, this is where we’re going.” They want to be respected for what has been. Also, in many cases, build on what has been, which is probably what prompted you to come to this new change.
Ruhland
When I hear the word ritual, a lot of religious connotations pop up. Is this religious in any way, shape, or form?
Osta
No, not in any way. An example of a ritual is, in fact, I worked with a marketing team one time. They got it down. They lost a major client that was a big chunk of their business. They made a shoebox into a casket, made notes about what they were going to miss about the client, and what they were not going to miss about the client. They were looking at what does the change represent? What does it mean? How do we say “goodbye” to it? We’re not going to be able to do “X” anymore because now we have to do “Y.” It’s giving it words and recognizing how it shows up, knowing that you’ll create new rituals.
In a big merger, they had a big outdoor party. They had a big pit. Everybody threw their badges and uniforms into the pit, and they had a bonfire. Then they had punch, and cookies, and got their new uniforms and badges.
Ruhland
I can see how it helps one get through the denial. It’s a little hard to deny after that.
Osta
That’s right! And that’s the other thing. I said there are communication strategies. What I tell leadership is, “We need to tell them. We need to tell them again. We need to be a broken record. We need to put it in writing. We need to put it on posters. We need to make it clear that it is not going away.” They need all the cues they can get and the support and tools to go with the new change, whatever that is.
Ruhland
Do you sense that people at times misinterpret this sequence of stages as stubbornness or insubordination?
Osta
I think if they don’t really know the model, then, yes. Because if they listen to resistance, it sounds like somebody being onery. One of the recommendations is to listen with a third ear. When someone is resisting, they’re often saying, “I’m scared. I’m scared I’m not going to be able to do this.” We also say, “Listen and don’t jump to that judgment about their being insubordinate. Listen to what they’re saying.” They might be saying that they don’t think they’re going to get what they need to be able to make this change. That’s when some reassurance has to occur.
Maybe there’s a training, and the person’s been so scared they avoid making it to the training. Then it’s time to say, “No, no. The last training is coming up and you need to go to it. Tell me what’s wrong and why you can’t get there.” Well, they might say, “My plate’s full.” Then we have to get someone else to do what we do because you have to make it to this training. “We’ll talk afterward.”
The training gives them the information they need. They may still not be thrilled about it. But they may now realize that it can happen, and it will work.
Ruhland
Does it help for the group to somehow experience this knowing that they’re all going through some rattling of nerves? Is there any way to ease that tension?
Osta
It is about being as complete in communication as you can be. Saying what it does mean and what it does not mean. Because people’s minds…some people are master catastrophizers. “Oh brother, we’re going to do this now, and I don’t get up to speed on this, I’m going to get demoted or lose my job, and then I’ll lose my house, and then I’ll lose…” Just because they have to learn a new software program.
It’s a matter of giving them as much information as you can. Then, as I said earlier, being a broken record so that it sinks in. People go into a temporary hearing loss when they first hear the news. They only hear so much. That’s why the broken record needs to happen. Then when they’re ready, as when I talked about the shift from resistance to exploration, then their hearing comes back. What can happen in that phase is, “Uh, oh! There’s some other stuff I never caught before that I’m catching now that’s making me want to go back into resistance.”
There are different aspects of every change. Some are, “Yeah, I’ve got that, I’m there.” Then there are others where they are not so sure. It’s a matter of really persisting. Leadership needs to build in time. “What time can we afford?” and “What can we not afford?” Then be straight with people.
Ruhland
Nimble organizations, agile businesses, what defines that? How do we have a group that can look at change and jump in like they’re Olympians?
Osta
This model is intended to help people become masters of change. Once you realize what happens and you stay aware of it, you can move yourself through pretty fast. Let’s say you go to a big change meeting. There’s a big announcement being made. There are people in that room that have flipped through the curve by the end of the meeting. There are other people who are stuck in denial. Others are in resistance. Some are maybe putting their toe in the water.
We talk about what those stages look like. What you see and hear people doing and saying. So that you can catch it. You support them and say, “It looks like you’re unsure about ‘X.’ This is what it means for you. And this is what we need you to do.” There is a percentage of people that don’t make it, but it’s a small percent. As long as you build in all the mechanisms that you need to, and the strategy to get people the support they need. Also, be really clear, “This change is happening.”
Ruhland
I’ve got to believe that this change puts at risk for the leadership, for the organization, the value that they have within this group of people.
Osta
That’s right.
Ruhland
You’re threatening that at some level, whether you want to or not. Whether you’re trying to be as gentle as humanly possible.
Osta
That’s exactly right. Well, if you imagine the four quadrants: Denial-resistance, the curve going down and swooping back up. The left-hand side is when we’re perceiving the change as a danger or a threat. That’s exactly right. When we make the shift, then we finally can see it as the opportunity that it is. The trick is not asking people to make what we call the “Tarzan Swing,” which as soon as we tell you about it, we’re triggering your denial and asking you to be over in commitment. It’s not going to happen.
It’s a matter of building in the mechanisms and the strategies. You probably have some. It’s a matter of reminding yourself, “Oh, remember what happened when we did ‘X’? Here’s how we ended up getting through it.” Some of the communication strategies involve giving yourself credit when you’re making even baby steps toward the completion of the change.
Ruhland
We tend to be competitive. Our whole business culture, from the beginning of time it seems, is built on competition. Getting there first and getting the most out of whatever there is to get the most out of. We’re kind of wired that way as employees, employers, and leaders. How do you adjust your compass, or recalibrate your brain to make this work for you as a leader, as an organization?
Osta
Competition can be healthy. It’s a matter of degree, and it’s not the only variable in the mix. Is that the only thing you’re out to do is win and make money? It’s certainly a viable goal to have, but what else? What else is happening? When you think about it, people spend a huge percentage of their lives in the workplace, so they’re really community centers. People know about each other’s lives. It isn’t just “Hit the bottom line.” It’s in the mix. You can’t ignore it. It’s important. It’s got its place. It just isn’t the only thing. That’s when a company knows its culture. That’s when you pull out the values and remind yourself, “What did we say we’re made of?” It’s “both-and” not “either or.”
Ruhland
When does this training, as you described it, ideally take place and when does it typically take place, if it takes place at all?
Osta
It’s ideal to have the leadership have the training when they know they are designing a change. And then, I have a former colleague who used to say, “And then you hose everybody down.” What that really means is to give everybody the benefit of understanding the change experience. Then it partners with what the expectations are.
It is ideal to know going in. When I did strategic planning, I would sometimes put this in the middle to say, “By the way, you just created a strategic plan that basically means ‘We’re making change.’” When you roll out the strategic plan, you might as well equip people with the change tools because that’s what you’re asking for.
Ruhland
Whenever somebody goes in and reevaluates and makes adaptations to their strategic plan, that incurs change and that is the time ideally that you take a moment or whatever time it requires to make sure that your leaders are prepared to help their people through the transition process.
Osta
Right, and the training, itself, isn’t very long. There are three core models, and it can be done in three hours. Then it’s saying, “How can we live this? What are the ways we will translate the reality of this into how we interact with each other, how we add expectations, and how we set our targets?” That’s why it’s optimal for the leadership to have it upfront. Then they can set more realistic targets.
When does it often happen? It’s when it’s not going well. So, then they go, “What’s the deal?” Well, the “deal” is that people are just being human. Once you take that pressure off, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep moving…that’s the misnomer people have. They think it sounds like you’re just placating people who say, “Yeah, but I’m on the transition curve.” No, no! Now that you know it, you need to move yourself through it as quickly as possible and ask for what you need. It’s about shared responsibility.
Ruhland
It sounds like accountability.
Osta
Yes, absolutely! When you’re aware, you can’t deny that you didn’t know.
Ruhland
Alright, we are in a digital society. We want everything clickety click, now. We want it as convenient as possible, without any interference with our daily operations, even if we’re going through change. Can’t I get this online or in an audio book?
Osta
Well, you can get the content, for sure. The way the training is designed, it’s very experiential. People have “Ah-ha!” moments at different times. It doesn’t mean they won’t get any value if they do it on their very own, but the experience together as a team, and hearing people share their “Ah-has!” or talk to their resistance, especially if leadership does, by the way. That’s one of the things I advise.
Remember, I said that leadership goes through the curve first, but they don’t even know it. Well, they’ve probably done their own part of resisting—it might not be long-lived, it might not be major. But when someone in a leadership position says, “I’ve got to tell you, when I first learned about this change, I had my misgivings about it. I thought, ‘Oh, brother!’ this isn’t going to work because of ‘X.’ Now that I’ve seen the light and I’ve gotten more familiar with what it means, I can see that it’s going to have payoffs and it’s going to be the right thing. It is the right thing.” When they admit that, it’s like giving permission for people to have their own journey.
The first reaction is often denial. If you draw a four-quadrant box on a sheet of paper, the upper left-hand corner is denial. Right below denial is resistance. Across from resistance is exploration and on top is commitment. When denial hits is when the announcement is made. When you announce it, you need to be a broken record. You need to make it really clear and not sugar-coat anything. “This is the nature of the change. This is the schedule. This is what everyone is called on.” Really give people the information they need in all forms.
After that, when people start moving into resistance, that’s the listening piece. That’s where you need not to get so impatient that people aren’t where you are as the leader. That’s where you say, “Okay, what are you really telling me?” The truth is, sometimes someone will make a good point that you didn’t consider, and you need to leave it in. But if it’s just fear, which it can be. We have part of the session saying, “What are good reasons for resisting the change?” It’s looking at the up- and the downside. But listening to what is behind the resistance. As people shift over to exploration, the communication strategy is to really keep focus, help people focus on where we are going. That’s where people can get so excited. “I get it now!” Then they can lose track of what’s moving you in the right direction.
Ruhland
Will people recognize it when it finally gels—when it clicks?
Osta
Well, they click once they build it. We build it on their past experience. The, it’s about applying it to the current change.
Ruhland
When they get to commitment, that’s where the money is. That’s when they’re back in motion, they’re finding their stride, and they’re moving onto whatever this new change is without the resistance that would hold them back.
Osta
Right, and they may even be asking for more change.