Leaders have a natural tendency when it comes to introducing change. They fire up the hype machine and attempt to deliver a knock ‘em dead speech focused on the future, on the bounty of unimaginable wonder that exists just on the other side of the mountain. What some leaders aren’t taking into account, however, is that their people are focused on the hill – on the challenge and difficulty – and can become even more anxious and resistant to making the climb you’re asking them to make.

Sure, there will be early adopters that make it seem as though the initiatives are being met with open arms. Leaders tend to hear their voices the loudest, allowing the positive feedback to overshadow the questions of those who remained in the back of the room whispering to one another. It is a common but misleading act for the leader to hear the voices of acceptance. Those that are easiest to convince. More important are the people who do not accept, who are not willing to change. Persuading those who reject the initiative are those who need the most attention, not to mention a new way rally and bring aboard.

The chief question is this: Is your change initiative something that has an important emotional effect on people? When your initiative is important to someone there are fewer acceptable options that they will support. Without a strong emotional reason, and stake in the outcome, people are likely to be accepting of many more options. Giving a motivational speech will mean very little to those with a strong emotional rejection to your plan.  Communicating your ideas, the value, and its own importance is crucial but must be handled in a way that is not current being met as often as it should.

You need to bring your change to action with the resisters with small, incremental, and highly positive steps. Allowing them to “dip their toes” into the change initiative with an assured positive outcome will make it easier to convince them to put their whole foot in. Next thing you know their up to their knees…you get the picture.  You’ve now involved them in the process in a way that is comfortable and positive. They’ve now stopped digging their heels in, and are instead digging their hands in.  Here are some key aspects and techniques to help you achieve success.

• Take Baby Steps. Yes, you want everyone to eagerly gobble up your new plans and launch their hearts and souls into supporting you. But it doesn’t happen that way. To achieve your goals you need to allow them to take progressive & positive steps. Example:.
• Give Them Something. It doesn’t have to be money or the keys to the castle. Employees want to be praised, recognized for their contributions, and provided with tokens of appreciation. Find ways, subtly and overtly, to provide these things to resisters who are participating in early successes. You will alleviate their’s and other’s fears and get far more buy-in.
•  Allow Mistakes Your resisters and scared. Their dreaming up doomsday scenarios and each pothole along the way is going to seem like a ravine to them. Ensure that they won’t be embarrassed, even in failure, and you will be the recipient of far more effort during your small-steps phase.
• Help them to learn. Providing background and general knowledge about your initiative and more specifically your solution will do wonders. Resisters who are being trained feel as though they have a sense of control over the information and process are much more likely to lose their fears and support your efforts.
• Ask for leadership in others.  Once your resisters have taken some baby steps and are starting to see success you’ll notice a change in their behavior. As a manager you can create a new sense of empowerment in them, and ask them to take a leadership role with others – helping other resisters to achieve the early successes that move everyone towards your goals.
•  Be considerate and compassionate. You don’t have to agree with the negative thoughts of others in order to show that you understand the legitimacy of their concern. Making the decision to support change is emotional for resisters. Choosing to ignore what they consider to be important is a sure-fire way to strengthen their non-supportive resolve.
• Provide a head start The more of a rolling start that you can give the resisters the better off you’ll be. Take the sting out of the challenge by focusing the front-end of your initiative. Make early success visible, and give any available positive nudge for them to simply take that first step.
• Prove your own commitment. accepted research shows five phases of a change initiative. Pre-contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance. It is the leaders responsibility to see the change through to the end, and to be an involved leader each step of the way. Early delegation, especially with resisters, will derail your efforts and success. Resolve yourself to be part of a positive process.