Managing Resistance: The Importance of Removing Obstacles in Change Processes (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: I have a tip for you, and then I'll back up and explain why it's important. In a change process, you will always find around you some people who basically always say no, no. And they really strongly mean that. These are the guys that resist to the death. We have a tendency to try to pull them in, to co-opt them into the process, to work away and change their minds. And my tip is forget it. Get them out of the way, no matter who they are in terms of power or relationships to you. Because if you let them inside the tent, they will do so much damage that the change will be undermined. Now, let me back up. I have yet to see a major change go on in a company or a government organization where you don't find at all levels some people whose reaction to any new strategy or idea is no, no. Now, some of these people, if they're in powerful positions, will be very upfront about you. Some won't. They'll be very quiet. But that's what they're thinking and that's what they're feeling. And the tendency that I see all too often, and that I think I would have done myself ten years ago before I saw through studies the problems with this, is to say, well, if only we can spend a little bit more time with George here, we'll win him over. You know, he's important enough that we've got to kind of co-opt him. We'll make him a part of the key team. And if we pull him in, eventually we'll work him down. He'll feel some ownership with this program and that'll take care of that. My observation has been, if they're strong enough, no-nos, it's hopeless. It's absolutely hopeless. And the only alternative you have is to get them out of the way, distract them, keep them out of the way, because the mischief they can do is almost endless. The mischief, for example, in just smiling at you and saying, yes, yes, but then going behind because you don't pay attention to them anymore, and doing things that undo changes you've made, talking to groups over here saying, you know, this is a little nuts, and beginning to win them over, of promising to do something and then, oh, gosh, you know, I forgot or I had this other priority, and it slows you down. The mischief they can create is just about infinite. I think most of us do not like the idea of saying, he's hopeless, we've got to get him out of this and keep him out of this somehow. I think most of us don't like that. But I think in cases of significant change, when you've got the no-nos around, that's the only solution, really, the only solution.