How to Overcome Resistance to Change

What happened to Andy? Working with Andy, a business coach helped him to discover some habits that were counterproductive to the motivation to move forward. The coach was able to identify fixed patterns of behavior that were holding him back. At first, Andy was resistant to the changes the coach suggested: he considered some to be removing “a part of me, almost like losing an arm or a leg.” In particular, there were three things that the coach noted and advised: 1. Some of Andy’s habits were symbolic, others ritualistic. For example, his shelves were full of the ‘trophies’ of a fruitful career. There wasn’t any space for more. Symbolically, Andy’s shelves were telling him he had reached the pinnacle of his career, and achieved all he was capable of. The coach had Andy remove some – but not all – of these ‘winner’s badges’. 2. Andy also used to eat lunch at the same restaurant every day, and at the same time. The coach encouraged Andy to try different places and invite different people to join him. 3. Finally, Andy had a habit of scheduling meetings for as soon as he arrived at the office every morning. The coach taught him the value of using the time before 9 a.m. to properly prepare for the day ahead. Andy’s workspace and business life were going to be disrupted. Nevertheless, he committed to the change, reminding himself of the reasons and the potential benefits. Within two weeks, Andy found himself reenergized in his professional life. In less than two months, this new energy had transformed into new business for his

organization. The result was a revitalized company, re-energized staff, and greater personal career satisfaction. Managing change on a personal level is the first step to becoming a business leader adept at effective change management: an essential leadership quality in today’s fast-moving markets. In the final chapter of this book, we’ll look at one of the strategies commonly used by organizations as a tactic to overcome resistance to change: incentivization.

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