Stop Saying These 5 Things If You Want to Effectively Drive Change
As organizational leaders, we’re tasked with driving change and improving our businesses. Change is difficult, especially when it disrupts familiar routines and habits. However, if we want to succeed in today’s fast-paced business world, we must embrace change and lead our teams through it.
Unfortunately, sometimes we unknowingly sabotage change efforts by saying and behaving in ways that undermine progress.
In this post, I’m exploring five statements that effective change leaders don’t say.
If you’ve said, thought, or acted out any of these, it’s time to reflect on how you communicate and commit to changing your approach.
1) “It’s always been done it this way.”
You might have guessed this one! This statement is one of the most common barriers to change. When we resist a new idea simply because it’s different from what’s been done in the past, we stifle innovation and hinder potentially useful generatively. Effective change leadership often requires new ways to improve an organization’s strategies, processes, and culture. If you find yourself clinging to the status quo, challenge yourself to consider how new ideas could improve your organization’s success.
“That’s not my job.”
No task is beneath a person who’s committed to driving beneficial change. If you’re not willing to do what it takes to make a circumstance or an organization better, how can you expect anyone else to? Everyone’s role in an organization is connected, and everyone contributes to its success. Set the ego aside. As President Truman is attributed for saying, “it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you done not care who gets the credit”.
“I’m not going to explain it to you.”
Change requires communication, collaboration, and buy-in from everyone involved. When we dismiss the need to explain why change is needed or how it will benefit the organization, it’s unlikely people will be willing to commit to the change effort. You cannot avoid the need for communication, and therefore, you must invest the time to communicate the why and how of change, engage employees in discussions about the change, and ensure that everyone understands the implications of the change.
“I tried that and it didn’t work.”
When you stonewall feedback, you communicate fragility and a lack of resilience, which in turn, degrades interpersonal trust. Effective change leadership includes expecting and planning for obstacles, learning from setbacks, and not giving up until goals are achieved. Feedback from others and collaboration is essential to this work. Instead of countering every suggestion with “I tried that”, instead, actively solicit feedback and consider adjusting the approach.
“There is only one right way to do this.”
You’ve heard the business case for inclusion, that diverse teams are smarter, and produce better solutions, but it bears repeating: there are so many paths to success and so many different potential solutions. It benefits everyone when a range of perspectives and ideas are represented in change initiatives. So when we rigidly adhere to a single method, we limit not only our direct team’s creativity but also the system’s potential. Instead, cultivate a culture of innovation, foster creative problem-solving, and encourage experimentation.
Driving change is challenging, but it’s also essential for organizational success. To effectively practice change leadership, it’s crucial to avoid statements and behaviors that undermine progress. When we choose to set aside phrases like “It’s always been done this way” or “That’s not my job,” we can create a more innovative and resilient organization that’s prepared to tackle the challenges of today’s dynamic business environment.
Commit to being mindful of your communication, embracing new ideas and leading your teams through impactful change, and you’ll feel (and see) the difference.