Don’t manage change! Manage people!

From my experience, both as a consultant and as an employee, the minute leaders decide change management is necessary is the minute things get weird. Those determined to manage change often see change as a major hurdle, grounds for rebellion, and a most unpleasant and fearsome task. To fortify themselves against the imagined upheaval and resistance, they turn their attention to the “change process,” which often includes actions such as:

• Developing a communications plan to control what everyone hears and when they hear it
• Scripting talking points for managers so they all deliver the same scrubbed messages
• Creating opportunities for the leaders to be highly visible voicing the same messages
• Planning a big launch to set the stage for change and generate enthusiasm

With these acts, they create more resistance than they prevent. Furthermore, they invest a ton of energy into activities that add little value to identifying and implementing the actual changes needed. 

The most important requirement of change, no matter the scope, is to be sure employees understand what must change and why. That starts at the top, of course. The senior team absolutely must understand what needs to change and why. Scripted messages can’t hold a candle to real understanding that naturally creates support and a sincere willingness to be part of the process.
The next level also must understand what and why, though their ‘what’ will be slightly different because what must change depends on their specific responsibilities and the people they work with most closely. This process must be repeated until everyone understands what needs to change in their neck of the woods and why.

Those who focus on managing people well, rather than managing change, are far more likely to bring the excitement of new opportunities to their teams and involve them in determining what the changes really mean and how to best tackle the challenges involved. This honest, collaborative approach doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, it doesn’t control information, and it doesn’t waste energy on hype. It sees employees as vital players who must be involved in determining how the changes can be made, not as potential resistors or threats to progress.

It also doesn’t treat change as a rare bird that visits infrequently. Good managers are always overseeing change, seeking change, and initiating change, and they know how to keep people apprised of what is changing and why.

The more skilled you are at managing people, the more easily you can make changes, whether strategic or operational, whether large or small. And since change is both inevitable and constant, this is a skill worth honing.

Don’t let change management become the focus of your efforts. Focus instead on ensuring everyone knows what must change and why.