Encouraging Employee Buy-In For Change Management

Your Team Resisting Continuous Improvement This is one of the most common leadership challenges I see inside organizations today. You introduce a change initiative or improvement program and instead of excitement, you’re met with resistance, indifference, or quiet compliance. Let’s talk about what’s really going on and how to navigate it. Most teams aren’t resisting change because they’re lazy or negative. They’re resisting because they’re overwhelmed. They’ve seen process improvement programs come and go. Each one demands more energy, more reporting, more meetings while their day-to-day pressures remain untouched. So resistance shows up like this: ▪️“We don’t have time for this.” ▪️“What we’re doing now is working fine.” ▪️Passive attendance in improvement meetings(no follow-through). ▪️Quiet reversion to old habits after the hype fades. All these sound familiar? Well, to break this cycle, you have to stop selling the vision and start solving real pain. Here’s how: → Start with their pain, not your plan Ask: “What’s frustrating you the most right now?” Build your first improvement around that. Solve something that slows them down today, not next quarter. → Keep it micro Forget transformation. Focus on a small win. Ask: “What’s one task we could make easier this week?” Success creates momentum. People buy into what works. → Make it theirs If you’re the only one pushing, it’s not sustainable. Invite the team to identify pain points, test ideas, and lead change. When it’s their idea, the energy is different. → Celebrate learning and not just success Teams need to know that failed experiments won’t be punished. If a trial doesn’t work, ask: “What did we learn?” That’s what builds a culture of real improvement. When teams own improvement: ▫️They become faster at spotting and fixing issues. ▫️Innovation happens closer to the work. ▫️Change doesn’t have to come from the top. It just happens from within. But when they don’t: ▪️Progress stalls. ▪️Leaders spend energy enforcing instead of empowering. ▪️The culture becomes resistant, not resilient. And if you can build teams that lean into improvement, you are able to: 📍Position yourself as a leader who drives results through people. 📍Reduce friction in delivery. 📍Increase the long-term capacity and agility of your team. But if you're always the one pushing change onto people, you risk being seen as the “process person” and not the strategic leader. Here's something to remember Don’t sell continuous improvement. Co-create it. Start small. Start real. Make it theirs. 👉 What are the resistance patterns you see and what’s one small improvement you could adopt?

🙋♀️ How to Introduce Change in an Organization Facilitating transformation is a key literacy for healthcare leaders. In my role opening the new Texas Children's Hospital Austin over the past 3.5 years I worked with lots of young docs who wanted to start things — Programs, tech projects, unique service lines. I was their first stop. But creating something de novo in the largest pediatric healthcare system in the country takes an intentional approach. It doesn't work like a startup. This is what I told them 👇👇👇 1️⃣ Define the change You need a clear vision. 👁️ I do this with a 1-2 page executive summary. Something pithy, subdivided, visionary with clearly thought out operational steps. This should be developed (in your head) with a compelling elevator pitch for those critical hallway conversations. Remember that your vision summary is as much for you as it is for anyone else. You'll never know what you're thinking until you write it down. I never see the subtle lapses in my logic until I've put it on paper. 2️⃣ Create the value proposition Spell out why the organization needs your initiative. 🔡 Anchor your vision in something real: inefficiency, burnout, lost revenue, patient harm, missed opportunity. And be ready with clear benefits. This is where you help skeptical stakeholders visualize how good this will be to the organization. If you can create a sense of urgency it will help your cause. 3️⃣ Seek alignment Get key folks on board. One by one. 🚣♀️ I then disseminate this concept sheet to the highest practical level of leadership in the area want to change — in my case an senior or executive VP. This is key: I share this strategically with one person. The sense of selectivity that comes with knowing they were my first stop can be powerful . With buy-in from someone of influence, I then leverage this on my next stakeholder pitch to players who are more likely to help me bring this thing to reality. 4️⃣ Create proof of concept Show people what you got. 🎭 When you're selling something there's nothing better than evidence — the thing that helps people see the reward for participation. A living example; a brief trial, pilot, etc. In my organization you sometimes just have to bootstrap it and start in order to get to that first tangible chunk of success. 👉 Remember the bigger the organization the more likely you'll meet resistance. It's like gravity, only more annoying — You have to accept it and deal with it. Don't take it personally. Understand that pushback will come and counter with that clear, solid value argument. Persistence, consistency, and time are key elements in getting there — that can be the hardest part. 🐶 Eating the dog food — I just started a bold project of my own and had to use these steps. And every time I do this I learn something new. How do you start something? 📰 If you like this, check out my newsletter https://lnkd.in/g5GWsep3 #Leadership #Hospitals #Healthcare  #management

Change is never just strategic—it’s deeply psychological. During transformation, the biggest risk isn’t resistance. It’s silence. Silence means people don’t feel safe to speak up. And without psychological safety, ❌ Ideas disappear. ❌ Mistakes go unreported. ❌ Trust quietly erodes. That’s why high-trust cultures don’t happen by accident. They’re intentionally built—especially during change. Here’s a framework I use to help organizations foster psychological safety during transitions: 🔹 S — Speak Up Create a culture where people can share concerns or ideas without fear of being shut down. 🔹 A — Acknowledge Emotion Validate that change brings uncertainty. Don’t power through discomfort—address it. 🔹 F — Follow Through Keep your word. Psychological safety collapses when promises aren’t kept. 🔹 E — Encourage Learning Reward experimentation. Normalize failure as part of growth—especially during change. Leaders set the tone. If you want your people to lean in, not check out—start with SAFE. If you're navigating transformations and want to build a culture of trust that lasts, DM me “TRANSFORM”. Let's transform the way your organization leads through change.

According to a Bain survey, 65% of initiatives fail because they require significant behavioral change. Making business changes stick long-term is one of the greatest challenges leaders face. Here’s how to overcome this hurdle: 1. Clarify Objectives: Without crystal-clear objectives, your team will struggle to understand the "why" behind the change. Define the goals in simple, actionable terms that resonate with every level of the organization. 2. Reinforce Behavioral Change: Behavioral change isn't a one-time effort. It requires consistent reinforcement. Regularly communicate the importance of new behaviors, and celebrate small wins that align with the change. 3. Support Commitment to the Goal: Leaders must visibly commit to the change. This commitment builds trust and signals to the team that the initiative is not just another passing trend but a core part of the company's future. 4. Ensure Accountability: Accountability is critical. Assign clear ownership for each part of the initiative. Use metrics to track progress, and hold individuals and teams responsible for meeting their targets. 5. Combat the Swirl of the Day Job: One of the biggest obstacles to lasting change is the day-to-day swirl of existing responsibilities. Prioritize the change by integrating it into daily routines and making it part of the fabric of the organization. During a recent corporate carveout, we faced the challenge of transitioning from a legacy culture to a more agile, entrepreneurial mindset. The real hurdle wasn't just setting new strategies but ensuring everyone aligned with the new way of thinking. By focusing on these key areas—especially reinforcing new behaviors and combating the daily distractions—we successfully embedded the changes into the company’s DNA, turning a potential roadblock into a stepping stone for growth. Remember, the real problem often isn't the change itself but our collective unawareness of what truly needs to be done to make it stick. Focus on these key areas to ensure that your business changes become lasting improvements rather than temporary adjustments. #Leadership #ChangeManagement #BusinessTransformation #Carveout

Creating a coaching culture within an organization fosters continuous improvement and innovation. When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft, he emphasized a shift from a 'know-it-all' to a 'learn-it-all' culture, leading to a remarkable transformation. When I was working at at a top Oil & Gas company, I coached a leader who was incredibly smart, approachable to his team, and always eager to learn. He managed a department focused on next-generation products, a role with high visibility among VPs in IT and across the business. His team was spread across five time zones, presenting a unique challenge in structuring the team in a meaningful and productive way. Instead of deciding on a structure by himself, he chose to involve the entire team. He brought everyone together, shared his vision and expectations, and then allowed the team to choose their department structure. This approach not only secured complete buy-in from the team members but also modeled his willingness to learn and adapt, setting a powerful example for the entire team. Every quarter, the department came together to reflect on their structure choice and make adjustments based on the evolving vision and expectations. This practice fostered a culture of continuous learning and adaptability, driving both individual and team growth. This leader’s approach highlighted the importance of the "learn-it-all" mindset. By modeling a learning mindset and encouraging team input, he drove significant positive change in the team’s performance and engagement. -------- I coach leaders in navigating change within their organization. DM to see if we would be a fit. #Coaching #Leadership #OrganizationalChange #Culture