Resistance isn't futile
/Meet Albert, a mid-level geeky leader who has a history of working in medium-sized high-tech companies. He’s been floating “on automatic” at work, with a routine that doesn’t change much from day to day and isn't very stimulating. He’s noticed less to smile about at work, and that people (including himself) have been a little (or a LOT) more stressed than usual. He’s begun to explore and implement practices to help him face and reduce his stress, and to be more peaceful and happier at work.
Recently, as Director of IT, Albert was leading the implementation of a new CRM system for his company. He knew it was a big challenge, but also that the new system would ultimately benefit the company. He knew from experience how to take a collaborative approach. He held town hall meetings where people at all levels could hear about the project and voice their concerns and provide feedback.
In one set of meetings, Albert encountered significant resistance from some of the senior and high-performing sales reps. They said things like
"this isn’t going to work” and
“oh, now my job just so much harder” and
“good bye flexibility, here comes micromanagement!”
He was surprised at how upset they were, when he had made it so obvious that it would make their jobs easier and more efficient. Albert felt frustrated and a bit insulted. He was also upset because it seemed they were disrespecting his years of experience, his transparency, and his authority as a director. He even had some doubt whether he was willing to put up with all the effort and time dealing with the resistance.
Aware of his negative feelings and concerned that letting them fester would limit his effectiveness in leading the project, Albert took a step back. He first focused on how he could reduce his stress and be calmer and more thoughtful, and found that breathing exercises, especially the 4-7-8 “relaxing breath”, helped him a lot. After more consideration, he determined that, after the project was finished, he wanted to be able look back and see that he showed up as a leader with patience and compassion and openness and gratitude for what others had to offer. And he determined to make the effort to frame whatever anyone had to say as a gift to help the project, instead of a roadblock.
So Albert arranged follow-up meetings with the sales reps and listened to their perspectives. He acknowledged their fears and concerns. They had been using the old system for years and were comfortable and experts with it, even though it had its flaws.They were worried about having to learn and follow more complicated procedures that would come with the new system. And they feared they would make mistakes and experience delays in sales during the transition, affecting their ability to meet their quotas and achieve their bonuses.
Albert let them know he had heard their feedback and their ideas and how he he was grateful to be able to incorporate much of it into the project. He offered opportunities for them to actively participate in the user experience design, which identified some use cases which had been originally overlooked, and helped improve the quality and relevance of the sales training. Albert committed to remain closely connected with them during the transition and provide support and resources when needed.
The sales reps appreciated that they had been heard, and in turn calmed down and were able to trust Albert and his analysis and to see how the new CRM would benefit them. They dropped their resistance, and Albert found out later that they were able to help convince some of their quiet-but-doubting teammates to engage in and support the project.
In the end, by recognizing and shifting his own mindset, and then understanding the reactions of the resistant sales reps and empathizing with their concerns, Albert was able to address their needs and improve the project’s outcome, ultimately making the implementation a success. Their unique perspectives and experience were a gift. Looking back, Albert admitted his whole experience of the project was “much more rewarding and a lot less stressful than I expected”.
Self-awareness, self-compassion, calmness, presence in the moment, structured breathing, empathy for others, gratitude, curiosity, and finding the gift and opportunity in any situation, are all leadership mental fitness practices I coach, especially for geeky leaders.If you are feeling inspired to build, reestablish, or further develop these and other leadership practices and get happy, again, check out my Energy and Mindset Reboot Program. Click here to find out what it can do for you in a free 30-minute Discovery Session.
“Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny,
consume you it will.” – Yoda
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“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old,
but on building the new.” – Socrates