Practical Change Management: The Top Ten Countdown – No. 8

YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET SUPPORT FROM EVERYONE

That’s okay – keep going. You need to get the right people on board. Start with the early adopters, and hand pick key people, influential people that you will work closely with to show results. It’s not worth your time or energy to try to convince people that just want to argue or banter to try to get a response. Keep moving forward. Trying to get ‘buy-in’ (a.k.a. sell job) from everyone – is a mistake. Be honest, be transparent, in your decisions and actions. Be real! Let people know the challenges – don’t be a pollyanna! Be in reality, be practical about the risks, acknowledge what you don’t know. You will be amazed at the people that step forward and support you and the change you are implementing. People will respect and follow your character, often more than the change itself.