Nobody likes to be thought of as ‘resistor’ or a ‘roadblock’ or a ‘barrier.’ None of those labels are positive or flattering! Besides, ‘resistance’ connotes a battle between right and wrong, good vs. bad. Not a good picture!
And more often than not, ‘resistance’ is only a symptom of fear, confusion, mistrust, lack of information, misunderstandings, unanswered questions, no visible need for change, an unclear end goal, etc. most of which are fully under the control of the person leading the change. From this perspective, labeling others as ‘resistors’ is to blame them for our inability to lead and to influence effectively.
Effective leaders provide evidence for people to accept the change. What is that evidence? Below is a short list of some critical pieces of evidence that will go a long way to develop ‘acceptance’ rather than rejection.
- Trust – leaders must earn the trust of those they lead before taking them through a transition. As Stephen M.R. Covey says, trust is the one thing that changes everything.
- Vision – unless people can visualize and become excited about the end goal, they will be reluctant to go. But vision is not given through powerpoint slides. Vision is caught!
- Understanding – valid, timely, reliable information that leads to an increase in understanding is critical. Communication must be a two-way conversation.
- Transparency – speaking of information and trust, people must get a sense that they are getting the real story, not censored PR messages.
- Involvement – no one likes to just drink the kool-aid. That feels like manipulation. People respond better to a genuine invitation to make the kool-aid.
