“Get your boots on! How many times do I have to ask you?!”

Telling my son for the fifth time to get ready to leave is a regular occurrence. Sometimes it is accompanied by some serious parenting self-doubt:

Why won’t he listen to me? What on earth is he doing? What am I doing wrong?

Of course, he has his own agenda, his own wants and needs – and a far richer imaginal world than I have. All of these things serve to create a gap between my vision for change and his behavior.

It surprises me then to think that the people we lead are any different. They have their wants, needs, agendas, pressures, and tasks, with all the associated mental involvements. It is no wonder that we have to repeat our messages so many times.

This is why one of the jobs leaders underestimate is the work needed to communicate change successfully. And like parenting, there are certain things we know that will make the change process easier:

  • Preframing – letting them know in advance that change is coming
  • Selling – identifying the potential positive outcomes
  • Breaking it down – being specific about the activities that need to take place
  • Encouragement – noticing the steps of progress and affirming these
  • Consequences – outlining what inaction may lead to
  • Reward – (oh yes, we have all been there)

So ask yourself, have I done the following for my teams? Has the message been heard? If any of these are missing, then you may find there is something you can do to support your teams in adopting new processes.

What else could you suggest?