The Heath brothers, authors of Switch, present a metaphor that includes an elephant, a rider, and a pathway. Now I know this sounds like the beginnings of a bad joke, but stick with me here.
The rider represents the rational part of the brain. This is the part that plans and problem solves. When you are leading change, you might consider the steps needed to successfully implement the change using the rational side of the brain.
The elephant represents the emotional part of the brain. This is where the power comes from to persevere and navigate the change journey.
While the rider can try to lead the change, if the elephant doesn’t feel motivated to move, he won’t. The elephant has a six ton weight advantage, making it very difficult to control how and when he moves.
The third element, the pathway, represents the change journey. Often times in the change journey we run into unexpected obstacles, bumps, and twists in the road.
As the leader, you can look for ways to shorten the distance and remove obstacles along the way.
As a leader, you’ll want to take these three actions to facilitate change successfully.
- Direct the rider that includes knowledge on how to get to the final destination.
- Motivate the elephant by tapping into emotion.
- Shape the path to allow for easy progress.
Review each of the sections below, selecting the toggle to expand the window.
Direct
Most changes will require additional education and training for your team. Take time to ask questions and identify where your team needs additonal support from training and education. Make sure you build that into the change plan.
Your brain loves certainty. You get a dopamine award for knowing the answer, knowing what’s going to happen, and being in a predictable context. In the midst of change, certainty diminishes, and short-term emotions like fear, anxiety, overwhelm, and helplessness can kick in. These emotions cause individuals to step back and lower risk.
As a leader, you can help others accept ambiguity by setting very clear priorities, encouraging discussion, sharing information, and reminding others about the big picture vision.
One way to help people feel more in control during change is to increase their ownership of it. Look for opportunities to get the team involved in the change.
- Where can you create teams to lead specific change initiatives?
- Who on your team has a special skill or expertise that can be highlighted?
- Where are there opportunities to delegate responsibility?
- How else can you empower your team with more influence and control?
Motivate
Neuroscience helps us to understand the role of emotions when it comes to motivating others. Even for people who try to stuff or ignore their feelings, emotions still act as a driver in your choices, perceptions, relationships, and well-being.
As a leader, it is important for you to recognize emotions drive people and people drive change. While it can feel uncomfortable to talk about emotions, they can’t be ignored. Emotions are data. They provide you with pieces of information that help you to understand what is blocking or propelling movement.
Let’s look at your own feelings as an example.
Consider a time where you felt overwhelmed, uncertain, and challenged. How did that influence your ability to take action? For some people, these feelings could create either a fight, flight, or freeze reaction.
- Fight might look like powering through and staying up all night to work on something.
- Flight might look like throwing your arms up in the air, giving up, and walking out the door.
- Freeze might look like doing nothing and staying in your comfort zone.
Rather than allowing the emotion to take control:
- Take time to notice the emotion. Simply naming the emotion gives it less strength.
- Recognize the emotion as data. We often look as emotions as being good or bad. Instead, try looking at them as pieces of information.
What what messages are in those feelings? Sometimes the feeling of overwhelm signals that we need to slow down and take a step back. What would you gain from embracing the overwhelm versus ignoring it?
Emotions are contagious, so be intentional and set the mood. Research has shown that your moods or emotions transfer to others. This includes many types of emotions. As a leader you can influence how others feel about change.
Prior to your next meeting, consider how you want your team to feel about the upcoming changes you want to implement. While they may not be over the top excited, can you influence them to feel curious? Interested? How can you involved them so they feel valued, heard, and recognized.?
As you consider some of the upcoming or current changes in your clinic, what kind of mood do you want to set, and what do your team members need to experience that?
One last way to influence motivation during change is to celebrate quick wins, recognize extra effort, initiative, timeliness, and willingness.
Don’t under-estimate the power in appreciation. Taking time to say thanks and show your appreciation can have many far-reaching benefits.
Shape
As you shape the pathway of change, look for ways to help your employees look at change in more manageable pieces.
Change can feel overwhelming when it feels too big. As you shape the pathway, encourage your team to see change as a journey made up of many bite-sized changes. This also helps your employees view change as continuous journey rather than a one-time event.
There are always going to be times when change doesn’t go as planned. Stay connected and check in frequently with the team to get a pulse on what’s working and what’s not. Be available to rally your team and ask for input. Ask questions to identify obstacles in the pathway to change and find out what support is needed from you to continue to move forward.
Create a safe and supportive environment. If your employees feel threatened, exposed, or insecure, they will likely become overly cautious, hesitant, and possibly paralyzed to take action. Create a safe work environment where your team can practice new skills, and learn from mistakes. Help them to feel comfortable trying new things and asking questions. This type of environment leads to greater innovation and problem solving.
Simon Sinek puts it best. Leading is not the same as being the leader. Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune or navigating internal politics.
Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you – not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.
Choose one of the areas, Rider, Elephant, or Pathway to focus on this week.
Where do you have strengths in this area? Where is there opportunity for improvment?
As you look at this area, what additional input do you need from your team? Who else can be part of this solution?
What one or two things do you want to commit to over the next two weeks to impact this area?
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