Creating a Sense of Ownership in Training Initiatives

Most teams don’t resist change... They resist how change is introduced. Ever rolled out a “game-changing” improvement only to face blank stares, passive resistance, or worse - team members who quietly revert back to old habits? It’s not because they don’t want progress. It’s because most leaders approach continuous improvement the wrong way. If you want a culture of improvement that sticks, it has to be built - intentionally. Early in my leadership career, I introduced a new workflow designed to eliminate waste and improve efficiency. It made perfect sense - on paper. But the rollout failed. Why? Because I focused on the process, not the people. I expected buy-in without earning trust. I drove change, but I didn’t bring the team along for the ride. When I shifted my approach - leading with engagement instead of enforcement - everything changed. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻: Continuous improvement fails when teams don’t feel ownership in the process. → Resistance grows when changes feel forced, not developed together. → New processes get ignored when they don’t solve the team’s actual problems. → Improvement efforts stall when leaders fail to connect change to long-term success. If your team isn’t engaged, your continuous improvement efforts will fall flat. 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲: Here’s why teams push back against change: → Leaders introduce change without involving those impacted. → Improvements are treated as one-time projects instead of ongoing habits. → Teams don’t see the direct benefit to their day-to-day work. → Past initiatives failed, so skepticism is high. To make improvement part of the culture, you have to shift from top-down mandates to team-driven ownership. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲: Want a culture of continuous improvement that actually works? Focus on these 6 strategies: 1) Co-Create Change → Involve the team from the start. Let them help define the problem and propose solutions. 2) Small Wins First → Start with low-risk, high-impact changes to build momentum and confidence. 3) Make It Visible → Use visual management to track progress, celebrate wins, and reinforce accountability. 4) Coach, Don’t Command → Shift from dictating improvements to asking the right questions and empowering problem-solving. 5) Connect to Purpose → Tie every change back to the bigger picture: How does this improve the team’s work and impact? 6) Reinforce & Sustain → Build improvement into daily routines - don’t let it become a “flavor of the month.” When change is done right... it isn’t something done to the team - it’s something done by the team. 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: Teams that embrace continuous improvement experience: → 20% higher efficiency from streamlined workflows. → Stronger engagement as employees feel ownership in driving change. → More innovation because improvement becomes second nature. → Lower resistance as trust builds through shared success. Improvement isn’t an event - it’s a culture. And culture starts with leadership. - Chris Clevenger

So many leadership challenges come from trying to do the right thing; you’re excited to make positive changes, but when you dive in to implement, the team resists. I’ll share a story – in one of my past roles, I jumped headfirst into the company, eager to scale. The problem was clear to me – they had a powerhouse team, packed with raw talent, but lacked the seasoned expertise to channel the potential. So optimistically, I jumped right in with the solution. And guess what? It backfired. Despite my best intentions, my “positivity” was seen as too much – I wasn’t “reading the room”. I was chugging full steam ahead without realizing I hadn’t spent enough time listening to the team’s concerns. They felt like their voices weren’t being heard. And what do people do when they don't feel heard? They repeat themselves louder and louder until someone listens. This slowed progress tremendously. So, here’s a quick tip: even when you can spot the problem a mile away and rattle off the solution in your sleep, hit the brakes. There are a few things that you need first: 1️⃣ Engagement – This helps the team feel valued and heard, so they have a sense of ownership in the solution. 2️⃣ Confidence in You as a Leader – The team needs to know you have their back. Listening to their concerns and guiding them to a solution, rather than dictating it, can create a sense of control that negates any need to resist. 3️⃣ Comfort with Change – Once the team trusts that you have their back, praise their effort to build confidence in their problem-solving and self-efficacy. The safety net when they fail will give them courage to try again. The approach I take now is simple: ask questions, listen, learn, and discover what the team knows and can bring to the table. If the solution isn’t there, I guide their learning, so they learn the thinking and can mold the solution according to their experiences and insights ("teach a person to fish" and all that jazz). Not only does this make the team feel valued, but they’ll also feel a true depth of ownership for the solution, usually bypassing resistance entirely. At first, this approach may seem slower, but imagine how much faster it is than having to constantly revisit and convince people to go along with what you’re attempting to do. Get them engaged from the start and it will be free flowing from there. >>>If you need help with change management in your company, DM me or reach out at www.groyu.com. #operationsmanagement #management #leadership #productivity #startups

We thought resistance was about training. Or age. Or being “non-technical.” 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁. The real reason staff pushed back? They didn’t see themselves in the solution. It didn’t reflect how they worked, moved, or made decisions. So they rejected the tool— not out of defiance, but self-preservation. Once we involved them early, built around their real workflows, and showed the “why,” everything changed. Adoption followed trust. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.