There are probably hundreds of thousands of articles written online on the topic of Change Management. From Harvard Business Review to completely unknown private blogs, most of them cover similar key actions like getting buy-in from leadership and major stakeholders, involving employees, providing support, using influencers, communicating well, etc. However, I feel that one key element is, if not completely missed, then definitely underappreciated: change is personal!

Throughout my career, both as a full-time employee and as a consultant, I repeatedly watched leaders introduce major organizational changes by focusing almost exclusively on how much better the company would perform afterward.

And almost every time, the reaction from employees was the same: apathy, skepticism, or carefully performed enthusiasm.

Of course, when an organization decides to make a significant change, the strongest motivators usually align with the organization: higher profits, lower costs, increased productivity, faster delivery, and so on. That is no secret, but, at the same time, change should never be presented under that light because, once again, change is personal.

The First Rule of Change Management

Change is personal! People do not care about your process; they care about what they do. As such, make it personal!

To begin with, someone leading a Change Management process should always assume that end-users will be reluctant or even hostile to change. This is perfectly natural and should not be fought against.

Change Brings Uncertainty

All humans have a sense of self-preservation, which is why we are reluctant to face uncertainty. Of course, we all feel great when unwrapping a present. That anticipation feels great, but the same cannot be said about a change that could put us out of our jobs. Did the CEO say that the new CRM will be much easier to use? That’s great, but will it also be much easier for me? Is it possible that I will be the only one who will not be able to adapt? Do I need to learn new skills? Will I learn slower than everyone else?

When processes that affect the foundation of someone’s life, like their job and their ability to provide for their family, change, feelings of anxiety and unease are always triggered.

Change Requires Effort

Within a short time after getting into a new role, every employee, for the most part, acts on autopilot. Even if someone wakes me up at 3 am and says, “George, we have a new project, quickly, what do we need to do?”, I would still be able to list the key steps without blinking. I have pushed the same buttons the same way for so long that I can find those buttons even if my screen is off, and that is a great thing! Moving tasks from my conscious into my subconscious frees my brain for many other tasks, which is why I am significantly more productive.

When I started driving, every single action followed a mental checklist: signal, check mirror, clutch, downshift, accelerate, turn, shift. Nowadays, though, I can watch Netflix, check my emails, and have an argument with my wife while driving (not that I would ever do that) because the driving skills have been embedded deep into my subconscious. My brain has automated everything, but if tomorrow I have to learn how to drive a tank, everything changes. Not only would I have to learn a new skill and new habits, but I would also have to forget those which have been embedded in my mind for so long.

Because change brings uncertainty and because change requires effort, end-users will always be reluctant to change, regardless of what they express publicly.

What’s in it for me?

With this reality in mind, Change Management leaders need to sell the new process from the end-users’ point of view. Importantly, I am not claiming that increased performance of the organization should not be on the list of benefits, but I am definitely recommending pushing that item towards the bottom of the list.

People need to know how the upcoming change will improve their lives.

Will automation lower the risk of manual error so they can sleep better at night? That’s great! Then sell “sleep better at night” and not the “automation”. No one cares about your automation!

Will the new process be twice more efficient? Well, if that results is twice more work for me because you will double the number of projects I’m working on, then why would I celebrate?! Are you saying, on the other hand, that I can use some of the time saved to work on improving some of my skills or to double-check my remaining work? Well, now we’re talking!

Humans are a selfish species, and change is personal. Yes, we all love to know that our organization is doing better, but not at my expense. Let people know what they stand to gain from the change, their personal gain, and that alone can greatly improve the chances of a successful Change Management process.

But what about corporate loyalty? Our employees love our company! I am sure that many employees develop a form of loyalty for the organization they work for, but so do they for their life partners, and I will refrain from quoting statistics on the rate of infidelity. Corporate loyalty is not unconditional love. Corporate loyalty could very well translate into “for equal pay, I love this company much more than the other one”. Corporate loyalty should not be dismissed, but, at the same time, should not even be compared with loyalty to one’s well-being.

But what if there are no benefits for the employee? Well, then, most likely, there is something wrong with the new process. Ethically speaking, all endeavors involving an organization and its employees should be considered a partnership. Of course, I am not going to argue here how much of the benefit should go to the organization and how much should go to the workforce, but if only one side has to gain from a change, then that partnership might need a moment of self-reflection.