Get Real About Change: It's Always About Your People

Let's Talk Change (The Human Bit)

Change. It's the air businesses breathe now, new tech, market curveballs, strategy shifts. It's relentless. We draw up slick plans, but let's be brutally honest: a huge chunk (that scary 70% number keeps popping up) just don't stick. And the culprit? It’s rarely a faulty spreadsheet. It’s usually because we overlooked the most critical factor: the people navigating the change.

Change disrupts. It messes with comfortable routines, job roles, team vibes, and that fundamental human need for some stability. It challenges those unspoken promises: The psychological contract between employee and employer. When that gets rocked, people react. Expect confusion, worry, stress, maybe even grief for what's lost. It’s simply human nature. The companies that truly succeed at transformation. They get it. They understand change isn't just shuffling deck chairs; it's a profoundly human journey needing genuine attention, empathy, and solid support.

So, this is about cutting through the corporate jargon. We'll dig into the real-world pain change inflicts, understand why people push back (it's often for good reasons), and lay out proven, heart-first strategies to lead folks through the turbulence. We’ll wrap with five core principles as your anchor.

The Real Toll: What Change Feels Like

Significant change isn't a walk in the park for your people. It takes a real toll, impacting well-being and your results.

• Emotions & Stress: Brace for an emotional rollercoaster. Initial excitement might fade into confusion, fear, and that nagging anxiety: "What does this mean for me?". Feeling like you're losing familiar ground, routines, or even work buddies triggers a sense of loss. This isn't weakness; it's normal. And the stress? It's significant. People undergoing change report chronic work stress way more often. Think job insecurity, ballooning workloads, the pressure of learning new things, routines shattered, it's a heavy load.

• Burnout & Fatigue: Keep that pressure cooker environment going without adequate support, and burnout is almost inevitable. We're seeing alarming rates, near 50% for both employees and managers. Add relentless, overlapping changes ("change fatigue"), and it gets even uglier, especially when people feel stranded without the right tools or help (a staggering 83% report this!). Burnout isn't just individual suffering; it kills collaboration, innovation, and overall energy.

• Morale, Engagement & Performance: Stress and uncertainty hammer morale, that feeling of job satisfaction and connection to the company. Key culprits? Lousy communication, feeling excluded or unfairly treated, job fears, and zero trust in leaders. When morale sinks, engagement (that discretionary effort, the willingness to chip in ideas) plummets. Cue "quiet quitting", people clocking in but checking out mentally. While the goal of change is usually better performance, the transition often causes a productivity dip. People are learning, stressed, adapting. Poorly handled change drags down long-term results; change managed with genuine care for people can sustain or boost performance.

• People Voting with Their Feet: Feeling stressed, insecure, undervalued, or just plain angry about how change is managed pushes good people, often your best, out the door. Losing experience isn't just sad; it costs serious time, money, and institutional knowledge. Conversely, when people feel supported, see a path forward, and trust the process? They're far more likely to stay committed.

And crucially, this workplace stress doesn't magically vanish at knock-off time. It spills over, impacting families, relationships, and overall mental health. Great leaders acknowledge and respect this whole-person impact.

Why Change Stalls: Understanding "Resistance"

We love to blame "resistance" when change fails. But framing it that way often misses the point. It's rarely just stubbornness. Resistance is typically rooted in understandable human concerns and reactions. Think of it less as a barrier, more as critical data, a flashing light signalling that something important for your people has been overlooked.

• Why Individuals Push Back: Fear of the unknown is huge (Will I cope? Is my job safe?). Losing control feels awful when change is just dictated. Breaking ingrained habits takes real effort and feels uncomfortable. Worrying about failure or looking incompetent is natural, especially without clear support. Raw emotions, anxiety, frustration, sadness, play a big role. And sometimes, the change fundamentally clashes with personal or professional values, it just feels wrong.

• Why the Organization Gets in the Way: Terrible communication is a classic offender (no clear 'why', 'what', or 'WIIFM'). Broken trust in leadership, perhaps from past blunders, is toxic. A history of failed changes creates cynicism ("Here we go again..."). A risk-averse or political culture can stifle progress. Excluding employees from the process guarantees weak buy-in. Not providing adequate resources, training, tools, time, support, tells people you're not serious. Ambiguity around roles or the plan breeds confusion. And if rewards don't align with new expectations, why bother changing?

Instead of fighting resistance, get curious. Listen. It’s telling you exactly where the process is failing your people. Addressing the root cause is the only way forward.

Making it Through: Leading Change with People in Mind

Success hinges on navigating the human side effectively.

• Leadership That Shows Up & Cares: Be visible, vocal champions, not just figureheads. Clearly articulate the 'why', the compelling vision, and connect it to what matters to your people ("What's in it for me?"). Lead with genuine empathy: listen deeply to understand concerns, acknowledge the emotional journey, be authentic. Walk the talk, model the desired behaviours consistently. Build and rebuild trust through transparency, reliability, competence, and fairness. Trust is the currency of change.

• Communication That Connects: Bad communication kills change; good communication fuels it. Start talking early and keep talking often, using multiple channels (messages need repeating!). Be relentlessly honest and transparent, even with difficult news. Tailor your messages – leaders set the vision; managers discuss personal impacts. Crucially, make it a dialogue: create safe ways for questions, feedback, pushback. Then act on what you hear.

• Empowerment: Make it 'Our' Change: Shift from top-down decree to shared journey. Involve people meaningfully. Actively seek their input and ideas (especially from the frontline, they know things!). Show their feedback matters by using it or explaining why not. Include them in planning and problem-solving where feasible. Give people the autonomy and backing to implement changes in their sphere. Mobilize respected influencers as 'change champions' to build momentum.

• Building Skills & Resilience: Willingness isn't enough; people need capability and support. Provide practical training on new skills/systems, but crucially, follow up with coaching, practice time, and feedback loops to build true ability. Ensure they have adequate time, tools, and resources, don't set them up to fail. Explicitly acknowledge the emotional strain; provide access to well-being resources and create psychologically safe spaces. Reinforce new behaviours and celebrate milestones (even small ones!) to build confidence and make the change stick.

Key Insight: Be proactive, not reactive. Anticipate the human reactions and needs, and build your plan around them. And crucially, equip your middle managers. They translate strategy into reality for their teams, coach individuals, and manage resistance daily. Ensure they have the clarity, skills, support, and buy-in they need to succeed.

Your Change Compass: 5 Principles for Putting People First

Keep these five core principles front and centre:

1. Talk Early, Often, and Honestly. Transparency builds trust. Keep people informed about the what, why, when, how, and personal impacts. Make it a two-way conversation.

2. Lead with Empathy and Visible Commitment. Show up, champion the change, and genuinely connect with the human experience. Listen more than you talk. Your actions speak louder than words.

3. Build Real Trust and Psychological Safety. Create an environment where people feel secure enough to speak up, ask questions, raise concerns, experiment, and even fail safely. It's foundational.

4. Make People Partners. Involve them meaningfully. Value their insights, give them ownership where possible. Treat them as active participants, not passive recipients.

5. Gear Up and Support Your People. Provide the necessary training, coaching, resources, time, and emotional/well-being support for them to adapt and thrive. Reinforce efforts and celebrate progress.

Super Important: These principles aren't a checklist; they're interconnected. Honesty (1) fuels trust (3). Empathy (2) makes engagement (4) authentic. Listening (2, 4) informs support (5). They reinforce each other – use them as an integrated system.

Wrapping Up: Anchor Your Change in Your People

Let's face it: change initiatives crash and burn when we treat people like resources on a spreadsheet instead of humans navigating a complex, often emotional, transition. Ignoring the anxiety, the confusion, the need for involvement and support? That's the direct path to failure, resistance, cynicism, lost productivity, and your best people heading for the exit.

Successfully leading change means deliberately putting the human experience at the very core of your strategy. It demands proactive, empathetic leadership, constant open communication, genuine partnership with employees, and robust support systems. Those five principles? They're your guideposts.

Mastering the human side of change shouldn't be seen as a 'nice-to-have' or a project-specific toolkit. It's about building a fundamental organizational capability, the resilience and adaptability to thrive in constant flux because you know how to navigate transitions with your people. Investing in your team during change isn't just compassionate; it's the most pragmatic, effective strategy for building a successful, sustainable future. It’s smart leadership, straight from the heart.