Speaker 1: All businesses have experienced extraordinary levels of change recently. You know why? It shows no sign of slowing down. We as leaders have a responsibility to help our team manage the change fatigue that is bound to occur. Today, I'm going to recommend some practical ways to do just that. Let's dive in. Every change, regardless of its size, requires a certain amount of energy and focus. Simply shifting from the old way of doing something to adopting new processes, systems, and habits involves effort. Change fatigue occurs when a ton of change happens in a short period of time or the change itself is managed poorly. So how can you, as the leader, successfully mitigate change fatigue or help your team navigate it? That is the question I want to address today by offering you five practical recommendations. First and foremost, effective change management starts with you, the leader. If you want your team to embrace change, you must embrace it yourself. If you're not 100% bought in, guess what? Your team won't be either. The second is empathy. You have to recognize that you've been processing the change and its impact and envisioning a better future for a lot longer than your employees, many of whom are hearing about it for the very first time. Take the time to explain why a specific change is essential. I just did a couple of short videos on this very topic. If you're interested, go to my YouTube channel and search for two videos in particular. The first is, what do leaders need to consider when communicating change? And the second is the top mistakes leaders make when driving change at work. I highly recommend watching both of them. Okay, the third recommendation that I want to make is really important. Change fatigue is an opportunity for you, the leader, to reframe the conversation by comparing and contrasting. My experience is that many leaders get defensive when their team pushes back on a specific change or raises an issue with the change itself. Other leaders quickly try too hard to convince their team of the change's benefits. And while this is admirable, like I make no mistake, while this is admirable on one hand, if it's not carefully managed, it will come across as selling a bunch of bullshit. Instead, your job is to reframe the conversation. And the best tool I can offer you is what I call compare and contrast. Let me give you an example. One option you can suggest is that we don't do the change. We can manage the status quo. That's, let me think about it, that's a legitimate option. And you can list all the benefits of us doing just that. Probably it's the least amount of disruption. We know what to expect. There's no need to learn something new. There's a whole list of other ones you could add. You can then highlight an alternative is to make the change and list all the benefits of doing just that. Maybe more efficient workflow, faster turnaround times, better reporting, a whole list of benefits. Let them see both options. One of making the change and one of not. Then discuss the downside risks of each. While the status quo is least disruptive, where will you be in 6 to 12 months? What's the impact of not doing that? Does the problem get worse? Do we have to consider potential layoffs? 12 to 18 months down the line. Compare that now to the downside risk of the short-term pain in making the transition. Then ask your team which is the best option. And if you do this right, I can guarantee you everyone will be on board with making the change. But you got to do it right. Please note, just time out for a second. I'm not suggesting some Jedi mind trick here. Instead, I'm highlighting a very beneficial leadership influence practice. Comparing and contrasting. I recently did this with a group that was going through a significant, significant tool change. In the short term, it was without question going to be disruptive. I could have chosen to sell them and why the change was essential and why they needed to get on board. Instead, I chose to compare and contrast making the change versus not making it. Let them see which options. And I cannot emphasize this fourth point enough. Change is only successful when your team understands why the change is necessary and what's in it for them. You will never, and I repeat, never regret the time you invest in change management communication. But you will always regret the time you don't. The fifth and last recommendation I want to make is this. Leaders need to stay visible and accessible throughout the entire change process. Just knowing you are available to talk to reduces change fatigue. Sometimes, all you need to provide is a little encouragement. Other times, guidance on what to do next. And sometimes, you just have to listen to the feedback that will help you identify any potential blind spots or what's missing. Giving your team a voice, especially during change initiatives, promotes understanding, trust, and a greater willingness to adopt changes. If you want more insight and perspectives on leadership, I'd like to buy you a copy of my book, Freedom to Experiment. How to Ignite a New Level of Energy, Focus, and Momentum in Yourself and Your Team. I've included a link in the description, so follow if you're interested. And you know what? I'll personally sign a copy for you. If you have an interest or want to explore ways that you can retain and develop the leaders on your team, to help you scale the business, to help you extend your reach, and to help you elevate and always be learning culture, I also included a link to schedule an exploratory call with our team. Okay, if you like what I shared today, do me a favor. Give it a thumbs up, drop a comment below related to your business, and of course, subscribe. Because each week I'm sharing content to help you and your team embrace change, focus your efforts, and accelerate results. Remember this, you're just one idea away. I'll talk to you soon.