From Herding Cats to Leading the Orchestra — Leading Change by Understanding Resistance
- Brainz Magazine
- May 21, 2021
- 5 min read
Written by: Dr. Donna Vallese, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Sometimes leading adults can feel like herding cats. You may be thinking, “Herding cats?!?” Yes. Have you ever tried to get a group of cats into one area? It is nearly impossible. They are independent, persistent, and always want to go in different directions, just like humans.
Change is inevitable, but adults do not always like change. As a leader, getting all of your staff on board is not an automatic process that works by just announcing the change. It is common for some adults to resist.
If you have ever watched an orchestra, the musicians are all in sync, everything seems perfect, and the result is a beautiful symphony. However, it is important to realize that it took practice, hard work, persistence, patience, feedback, repetition, and fine-tuning to get to the point where they could perform for you. Watching the conductor of an orchestra makes leading a team look easy, but it is not always so simple.
To successfully initiate change, you must understand why the adults on your team may resist that change. When you begin the change process, it could feel a bit like herding cats. If you attend to the reasons for resistance, before you know it, that change will feel more like you are leading the orchestra.
Why adults resist?
Resistance can happen for many reasons, but most fall into one of three categories: limiting beliefs, assumptions, or interpretations. A limiting belief is a belief that you have had for a very long time that can impact the outcome of a situation. An assumption is when you decide that something will definitely happen again based on experiences. An interpretation is when you make a judgment about something that you believe will be true. The leader's challenge is to identify what is causing the resistance so that you can support your entire team in fully embracing the new initiative or change you are trying to implement.
Fear
Fear is a strong and common emotion that can prevent adults from trying new things or moving forward. Leaders may think that there is nothing for their team to fear, but that is not enough to prevent fear. When you implement change, your team may be concerned about failure or losing control of the situation. They may also fear that the benefits of the change will not outweigh what they will be giving up to make the change happen.
Lack of Competence
Adults find it challenging to admit when they do not know something or know how to do something. Sometimes adults do not even realize what they do not know. It feels easier for most adults to resist change rather than admit that they may be lacking the skillset or knowledge base required for success. Our culture has helped mold the idea that adults should be competent in all they do, no matter how unrealistic that expectation is. This makes it important for you as the leader to provide training and support to help your team learn the skills they need for the task at hand.
Lack of Trust
Before initiating a change, it is important to reflect on the level of trust that has been established with the team. If your organization is continuously pivoting and implementing changes, your team may experience initiative overload. Initiative overload causes teams to feel a lack of trust that whatever they put time and effort into will not stay in place and is therefore not worth the energy. In addition, if your team has experienced any leader who does not uphold their word and follow through with what they say, that lack of trust can also create resistance.
Misunderstanding the Purpose or need to Change
Human beings naturally are habitual and cling to their routines. They become comfortable with how things are regularly and eventually attach themselves to the status quo. When someone is pushed out of their comfort zone, a sense of apathy and frustration if s(he) does not fully understand why the change is necessary or the initiative's purpose. Another way resistance shows up is by claiming they do not have enough time to learn something new. This can be the case when busy adults have gotten used to their routines and cannot see the benefit of making the change.
Emotionally Connected to the old way
For a long time, team members who have been in the organization can feel a sense of pride for what has been accomplished during their tenure. Sometimes these team members have been a part of building the culture, processes, and work you are trying to change. If you are changing something they have worked hard on creating, they may feel that they should be consulted about the change because they know the most about why things are the way they are.
Conflict with Values
We all have values, whether we realize it or not. Some are stronger than others. You may value family, honesty, love, empathy, dedication, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes the changes that a leader is striving to implement press on someone’s values which create resistance. Honoring values and having conversations about them and how they relate to the change or initiative is important.
Key Mindsets to Navigate Change
Because change takes work, here are a few mindsets and actions to help you navigate the change:
Leadership is not positional; It is a set of orchestrated actions that motivate others.
Honor the perspectives of each team member to help them feel valued.
Problem-solve with your team and ask them for feedback, so they feel a sense of ownership.
Do not avoid nay-sayers. Rather, hear them out because they will help you navigate the challenges your initiative will face.
Clearly and powerfully communicate the purpose and need for change to help them understand the need.
Offer support and patience as the change is initiated to help your team work through their resistance.
Knowing your team at a deeper level than just their work at face value helps you understand what drives them.
Coaching will get you further with your team than insisting or ordering them to do something.
Leading change can feel like the loneliest job on the planet, just like the cat herder. It does not have to be. Utilize your team's strengths and work with them through the change to embrace the word team, just like the orchestra conductor does. An orchestra does not stay together without the conductor, and the conductor cannot make music without the orchestra.
Note: For more information on implementing change in your organization, Inspiring Leaders LLC offers a free consultation.
Dr. Donna Vallese, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Donna Vallese is a Leadership Coach and Founder of Inspiring Leaders LLC. Her coaching focuses on building transformative leadership skills to impact team engagement, outcomes, and retention, leading to mission and vision becoming attained. Dr. Donna has spent most of her career as an innovative educator and educational leader with a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Her extensive background brings a unique perspective to coaching leaders focusing on learning theory, supporting and developing a team, and equity. She brings experience from working with start-up, established, and turnaround settings. Music also plays a large role in Dr. Donna’s life as she plays piccolo in a non-profit activist street band called UNiTY Street Band. The arts also play a large role in how she approaches coaching, supporting, and developing people as she has the ability to think outside of the box to solve problems innovatively and creatively.
