Often times, when leaders announce a major change, resistance from vocal stakeholders soon follows. If you’re lucky, the people with issues will come to you directly – giving you a chance to address grievances. But, more likely, the grumbling will happen out of earshot, although not without manifesting itself in one form or another.

If you sense resistance to change among the ranks, be careful not to set your sights on squashing the troublemakers. Instead, seek to understand the underlying causes for concern.

  • Maybe they don’t understand why change is necessary.
  • Maybe they feel overwhelmed by their perception of what lies ahead.
  • Maybe they’re being fed misinformation or making incorrect assumptions about how they’ll be affected by the change.

In today’s business environment, change happens often. It’s important to acknowledge and address resistance to ensure buy in. Otherwise you’ll waste your valuable time and wonder why the change didn’t work.