We’re always facing change and uncertainty. It’s a fact of life and part of being human – stuff happens. But, as leaders, to better support our fellow humans and help them find ways to get more comfortable, we need to understand people better.
There are many, many models and frameworks designed to help people work though change, but I always come back to the following fundamentals when supporting leaders who want to communicate and lead well:
We like to know why – if you want people to engage with a shift in how something is done inside your organisation, share ‘why’ you’re doing it or why it’s happening. Designed to protect us, our brains are predictability machines, and perceive change as a threat. So, our brains will move us away from threats. If I can understand more about why something is changing, what it means for me and the people around me, it means I’m more likely to understand why something different is needed and I’m more likely to feel less threatened.
We like clarity – as our brains are hard-wired to focus on potential threats, it’s natural for us to err on the negative. Ambiguity can create uncertainty. That’s why an organisation’s rumour mill can go into overdrive if there’s an information vacuum when things are changing – we’ll try to fill in the gaps ourselves. And you can be pretty certain those gaps will focus on the worst, rather than best case scenarios.
We like to feel we have choice – of some of the factors that can cause stress in times of change, loss of choice can be one of them. We’ll ask ourselves questions like, “What if I don’t like what’s going to happen here? How will we all be treated?” There’s a potential that we’ll feel ‘done to’ so it’s worth considering some of the questions you might be asked relating to a loss of choice.
We like to feel some control – when things shift, we can feel like we have little control of what’s happening. And this can lead to a host of questions and people feeling stressed by what’s happening in their working environment. Think about how to involve people in what’s happening and at the very least, consult with them.
We are individuals – none of us are the same. We’ve had different experiences, environments, relationships and our genetics are different too. So, that means we’ll experience the same change- and any messages you share – differently. Take time to think about different perspectives, contexts and how things might be interpreted.
It's worth remembering however that you know your organisation and the people in it, well. But knowing and keeping these fundamentals in mind about how humans tick, could help you keep ambiguity to a minimum.
If you’d like to chat about how you can understand people and so better support them in times of change, please get in touch.