The "Belly Flop" Protocol of Change Management
Why big splashes often lead to big pain — and how to engineer a cleaner entry.
Many so-called change efforts seem to employ the launch protocol of the belly flop.
Lots of noise. Big splashes. A few congratulatory whoops and hollers from the executive team. But then the pain sets in. Sometimes a lot of pain.
I saw this at one point with a client organization that employed about 1,300 people in a highly specialized, technical industry. They called me in to work on “culture and performance issues.”
At dinner one evening, I asked one of the top executives a pointed question: “Last year, how many of your 1,300 employees received a ‘Needs Improvement’ performance appraisal rating?”
“Six,” he answered.
I assumed I had misheard him. “I’m sorry,” I said. “My question must not have been clear. Of all of your 1,300 employees, how many of them…”
He interrupted me. “Your question was painfully clear. Last year, only six of our 1,300 people received a ‘Needs Improvement’ rating.” He went on to describe his organization as similar to Garrison Keillor’s mythical Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.
The reality was they were excellent at technology. But they were terrible at the straight talk necessary for high performance. They were launching initiatives, but they weren’t leading people.
The Mechanics of Friction
Every time an implementation fails to achieve its stated objectives on time and on budget, there are costs.
You charge ahead with a few supporters while skeptics build resistance behind your back. The problem usually isn’t the strategy. It’s the mechanics of influence.
In my experience advising Cabinet Officers and C-Suite leaders, I’ve found that most leaders rely heavily on “position power.” They assume that because they have the title, the team will follow.
But the reality is: You can rent people’s backs and hands, but you must earn their heads and hearts.
If you rely on your title to drive change, you are merely renting compliance. And as any landlord knows, tenants rarely care for the property as well as owners do.
To get your team to own the result, you have to shift your mechanics from forcing to facilitating.
A Framework for “Change-friendly” Leadership
Next Wednesday, March 25th, I am hosting a live training session where I will break down the specific behavioral mechanics of this shift.
We will move beyond the theory and look at the “how-to,” including:
The “Want To / Can Do” Model: A diagnostic tool to identify exactly why your team is resisting. (Hint: It is rarely just because they are “difficult.”)
The Four Ts: The specific behaviors successful leaders use to build the psychological safety required for speed.
The Resistance Roadmap: How to turn your most “cynical skeptics” into your strongest advocates.
If you are tired of the “belly flop” approach — lots of splashing but no forward momentum — I invite you to join us.