Sniffles and a sore throat are symptoms. Could be a cold, could be the flu, maybe RSV or Covid, or any number of other ailments.
Resistance is a symptom. It’s not The Thing that’s keeping people from participating fully with your change initiative. It’s a symptom of something else, and treating it as if it were “just” resistance is not likely to work well. Pushing people through resistance to a change undermines trust, credibility, and – given the general human tendency to be human – usually makes people resist more, not less.
Therefore, the question isn’t, “How do I get people to stop resisting?”
The question is, “What can I do to understand why they’re resisting?”
Because when you understand the why, you’ll know how to help them move through the resistance and do what they need to do to support the change.
And it will be more successful.
Don’t steamroll your people through resistance to change. Take a few moments to understand their reasons for resistance. It’s a much more humane AND successful approach.
Want some specifics on how to reach understanding? It’s a topic I’ve written and talked about a lot! Here are some links:
The three flavors of resistance to change (on LinkedIn)
YouTube playlist on change and resistance
I teach workshops on this topic for your leaders and managers. Curious? Drop me a note through my contact form and we’ll set a time to talk!