Best Practices For Change Readiness In Startups

The most dangerous phrase in a growing startup: 'And we also need to change...' The change fatigue cycle that kills momentum: → Month 1: 'We need to implement this new CRM' → Month 2: 'Actually, we also need to revamp our sales process' → Month 3: 'Plus we should restructure the team' → Month 4: 'And change our pricing model' → Month 5: Your team stops caring about any changes The data is clear: ↳ 74% of transformation failures are due to poor change management. What founders don't realize: Every change request withdraws from your team's psychological energy account. The signs your team has change fatigue: • Enthusiasm for new initiatives decreases • 'We tried that before' becomes a common response • Implementation gets slower despite simpler changes • Good people start looking for 'more stable' opportunities The sustainable change framework: • One major change at a time • Let people master something before adding more. • Change with purpose • Connect every change to a clear business outcome. • Change with support • Provide training, time, and psychological safety. • Change with celebration • Acknowledge both effort and results. The uncomfortable truth: Your appetite for change is higher than your team's capacity for change. Sustainable growth requires sustainable change. What change are you pushing that your team isn't ready for?

🚀 Transformational Leadership Practices For Tech 🌟 Middle-aged startups like Akka face unique crossroads: balancing a legacy of innovation with the urgency to adapt and grow. As CEO of a developer-led business undergoing profound transformation, I’ve been learning what it takes to guide a company through change while honoring the foundation that brought it this far. The practices I’ve leaned on aren’t just for CEOs—they’ve helped leaders across our organization, from architects and revenue leaders to individual contributors. While these lessons stem from my experience in a developer-driven environment, I believe they can apply to most tech businesses and beyond. Here are the approaches that have worked for me: • 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Building predictable rhythms that bring clarity, structure, and predictability to everything. • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Sharing raw insights—even on undecided strategies—because alignment thrives on openness. • 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Taking the time (and sometimes a few tries) to deeply understand who your customers are. • 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: Testing bold strategies with passion but staying open to better ideas when they surface. • 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: Diving into specifics to ensure alignment, not to micromanage, because small things matter. • 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆: Asking hard questions to streamline brands, products, and processes, even if it means letting go of historical favorites.   • 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Acting decisively on tough decisions, even when the path is controversial.   • 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲-𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀: Learning from competitors and adjacent industries to stay ahead of the curve. • 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Striving to embody the qualities I hope to see in others—work ethic, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous improvement. • 𝗦𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱: Recognizing and coaching those who align with the mission and addressing those who don’t. • 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Embracing and enhancing the values that have driven past successes while adapting them for the future. These aren’t prescriptive rules—they’re practices that helped me and our team navigate some challenging but exciting times. 💡 What about you? • How have you navigated cultural shifts in your organization? • What practices have helped you balance legacy with change? • What lessons have you learned about leading through complexity? I’d love to hear your thoughts and learn from your experiences. Let’s exchange ideas and keep growing together. 👇 #Leadership #Transformation #DeveloperLed #Innovation https://lnkd.in/gr2cuj2w

Last week I met with an Account Management leader I've been mentoring. She's in her first leadership role in a startup - realllly startup. Slapping her forehead, she said, "JP, my company is a hot mess! I feel so overwhelmed by everything that needs to change. How do I move us forward." I've had this conversation with a lot of AM and CS leaders and we always land on the tactics below. One: continually realign your expectations. You're in a startup and chaos is part of the journey. Don't expect your company to operate like a mature organization and embrace the toddler stage. Two: categorize the work that needs to be done. There are generally 3 areas on which an AM/CS leader can focus - people, process and future. People is about the things you can do to grow your people and keep them engaged. Process is about continually improving operational effectiveness. Future is about innovating for tomorrow's opportunities and challenges. Three: know yourself and which category above gets you excited. A common mistake leaders make is to over-prioritize the category they most enjoy. My tendency is to geek out over the future to the neglect of current operational effectiveness. Know your bias and fight it. Four: prioritize with your team. Once you've broken your work into the 3 categories above, work with your team to prioritize which initiatives should get your attention. You are limited in time and resources. So, collectively decide what needs your attention first. Five: execute with focus. A common tendency, especially in startups, is to continually jump to different projects. This results in a body count of unfinished projects and initiatives. Each month, choose 3-5 initiatives and focus on them until completion. Next month, move to a new list. Six: celebrate your rearview. If your to-do list is a mountain it can feel like you're note making progress. When you finish a batch of initiatives pause with your team to celebrate before you move to the next initiative. Seven: treat everything like a hypothesis. Every strategy is a hypothesis about what will work until you prove that it works. The problem with strategies is that our teams tend to think of them as concrete, immutable doctrines. Change your language and refer to your monthly initiatives as hypotheses we believe will solve specific problems. If the hypotheses turns out to be wrong, form a new hypothesis and rinse and repeat.

We don’t resist change. We resist not knowing where we’ll land. Most pushback is rational. We hold on to what’s worked because the next step isn’t clear. If we don’t see the logic, If it doesn’t feel safe to try we stall. Every time. The job isn’t to “manage resistance.” It’s to de-risk what’s ahead. Here are 7 strategies that have helped my teams (and me) move through change faster: 1. Model it first → If leaders don’t go first, nothing moves. → We follow behavior, not slide decks. 2. Share the why, not just the timeline → Don’t wait for the perfect plan. → Share what’s changing, what’s at stake, and what we’re betting on. 3. Involve the people closest to the work → Real alignment doesn’t come from top-down decisions. → It comes from early input. 4. Make the first step feel doable → We don’t need the full blueprint. → Just a clear first move we can act on with confidence. 5. Train for what’s different → Belief ≠ readiness. → We resist when we don’t feel equipped. 6. Name what’s really going on → Resistance often hides fear or confusion. → Ask early. Ask directly. Don’t let it build. 7. Show it’s working and work hard on what’s not → Small wins build trust. → But trust grows faster when we’re honest about what still needs fixing. Most of us try to scale with complexity. But the real unlock? We simplify. That’s how we move forward - together. * * * I talk about the real mechanics of growth, data, and execution. If that’s what you care about, let’s connect.

In the startup world, things have changed. The focus now is on building real businesses with solid growth and defensible models, properly funded for the opportunities they present. And I don’t think this is just a startup reality. Every business is participating in a different market from a couple years ago. Some might call it a change from peace time to war time. I tend to call it “what got us here won’t get us there.” And in the face of a rapidly evolving business climate, simply relying on previous marketing, sales, and strategy approaches will likely lead to failure. Based on my experiences in prior market changes, I tend to assume that much more drastic changes are required and that minor adjustments won't cut it. Because of that not every team member will possess the capacity and desire to adapt, and it's crucial to identify those who are falling short and replace them with more dynamic and willing individuals who can rise to the challenge. Start with your market. Monitoring market trends is not optional; it's a must. Ignoring market shifts is akin to embracing obsolescence. Analyzing performance data is vital to uncover the weak links and ineffective strategies that need immediate attention. Seek direct customer feedback to understand their rapidly changing demands and priorities, and reorient your approach accordingly. Internally, it's time for some hard truths. Assess your team members ruthlessly, identifying those who have shown adaptability in the past and those who are dragging their feet. Encourage continuous learning, but let's face it, some will probably not want to or be able to keep up, and you should graciously give them ways to opt out of the next phase of the journey. There’s not time or a need to sugarcoat things; be open and transparent about the urgent need for change. Engage in frank discussions with the team, but don't expect everyone toy embrace the challenge. Identify potential champions and provide them with the necessary support, but understand that not everyone will rise to the occasion. The change will also excite a new group of recruits - embrace them for the new energy and thinking they will bring. Half-hearted efforts won't work. Radical changes in marketing, sales, and strategy are essential, and you need people willing to be and lead those changes. Only those who display true adaptability and grit should be on board to drive the business forward in this environment of change.

True: Startups get hit hardest when the market turns. False: It's impossible for startups to prepare for this. In times of financial uncertainty, many startups worry about slow growth and fewer fundraising dollars. Slowdowns (market or investment) hit early-stage companies hardest because they lose access to capital. The margin for error is already tight. And in a downturn… it can evaporate overnight. So, what can startups do to prepare for this? 1. Maintain a steady cash flow: Beyond just investor funds… Have an active collections process to keep money flowing in from customers on time. It's easy to let late payments slide when things are going well… But this is a death spiral when runway shortens. 2. Respond proactively to market changes: As soon as you notice changes in the market… Plan what you need to do for your customers. Specify your short-term growth goals and focus on making those goals a reality. Cut any expenditures that don't serve that mission and put your energy towards weathering the storm. 3. Prioritize every dollar: You need to understand exactly where every dollar is going. Look at your gross cash burn. Then categorize all of your expenses into tiers based on how essential they are. This helps you better understand where to make cuts as well as what you'll need to invest in to survive. 4. Be diligent about vendor expenses: Always know when you pay each of your vendors (and how that affects your cash flow). Don’t make payments early without reviewing upcoming cash flow first. And make sure you have a weekly cash flow in place to do this work. Maintaining a good relationship with your vendors is a balancing act. But vital in a downturn. 5. Fundraise with existing investors: Start with who you know! Your existing investors don't want you to fail. They have skin in the game and have shown their support. Talk to them first. Gauge their appetite for follow-up investments to help you manage runway before going to new investors. Many startups have survived financial instability and found success. Some even thrive! You just need to be proactive with your finances. If (when) the time comes, you’ll be thankful you did! Found this useful? Follow me (Chris Mossa) for more expert financial advice for startups and growing companies.

Change doesn’t wait for the perfect moment (especially in this economy 🥴) — it demands steady hands and clear minds, often all at once. As a Founder and consultant, I’ve been behind the curtain during moments of major transition: 🔄 Company pivots 🧭 Shifts in business strategy 💬 Internal restructuring 💡 Rebuilding clarity amid uncertainty In each of these, my job has been to lead fast change while staying grounded — aligning teams, translating priorities, and ensuring communication flows with intention. Here’s what I’ve found works when the ground starts to shift: 🔹 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭. I work to ensure teams understand the “why,” not just the “what.” The more context people have, the more aligned and empowered they become. 🔹 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲, 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧. Silence creates confusion. A well-timed memo, 1:1, or team check-in can prevent unnecessary friction. 🔹 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲. Uncertainty creates chaos — structure, timelines, and clear action plans help calm it. 🔹 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. When things are in flux, I prioritize relationships. Behind every deliverable is a human — their clarity, capacity, and care matter most. Helping an organization navigate uncertainty isn’t about having every answer — it’s about ensuring people (remember most companies are now heavily staffed with GenZ and they value different aspects than Millenials) feel supported and seen while we find the right ones. #founder #ChiefOfStaff #Leadership #ChangeManagement #InternalOps #Startups #OrganizationalExcellence #TeamAlignment #CommunicationMatters #entrepreneur