Navigating Change: Disagree & Commit
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There’s a critical piece around change management that is vital to the success of teams which is the idea of “disagree and commit.”
Successfully navigating change involves a number of factors; building resilience, being willing to challenge the way you’ve always done things, and communicating clearly about change to your team, etc. Another important aspect is how the team responds once a decision has been made.
“The reality in any team and organization when it comes to evolving the business is that not everyone is going to agree with every decision.”
The reality in any team and organization when it comes to evolving the business is that not everyone is going to agree with every decision.
Which brings us to the concept of “disagree & commit.”
This means adopting a mindset that regardless of how much any individual disagrees with a decision, their responsibility to the team outweighs their protest to it. It’s important for individuals to wholeheartedly move forward in whichever direction is decided for the sake of giving the organization and their team the best chance at success.
If anyone pushes back, drags their feet, or actively attempts to sabotage change, it may be doomed to fail. At the very least this makes it incredibly hard to move forward.
The best way to prevent teams and individuals from pushing back against change and new directions is to be aware of and employ elements and strategies of effective change management. Some of these include:
“When you see change as a threat, you suffer from it. When you see it as opportunity, you grow from it.”
1. Reinforce mindsets of being open and receptive to change
Know that change is inevitable, and proactively have conversations, training, and build mindsets so that when it shows up, your teams can respond by staying calm, and present, and treating it as an opportunity instead of a threat. When people see change as a threat, they suffer from it. When they see it as an opportunity, they grow from it.
2. Challenge the way you’ve always done things
Remain open and willing to adapt and improve and strive towards excellence by refusing to hide behind the way you’ve always done things. Be proactive and willing to evaluate if the way you do things is ideal or the best way, and do something about it when you recognize that it’s not. If you wait until the industry, competition, or your customers force you to change, it can be too late.
3. Communicate change to your team
Unpack the “why” for your team about the change so that they are brought into the context, and provide opportunities to create a dialogue with them. Give people an opportunity to be vulnerable about their fears/concerns and address them to add transparency and clarity.
That being said, this brings us back to the concept of disagree and commit. It is the responsibility of team members to be onboard, participate, and row in the same direction. Everyone needs to be held accountable to pull their weight and show up for the rest of their team and the organization.
Have compassion, and clear expectations.
Approach change management with an understanding that it presents challenges for employees. Have compassion and awareness around this reality while also setting expectations that, as the brilliant Cy Wakeman says, “Buy-in is not optional.”
These things combined will make it far easier when the time comes to navigate the choppy waters of change and create success for your people and your organization.
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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