Change vs Competition
We often think of change as a technical challenge, but in reality, it’s emotional. And if we don’t lead change well, we don’t just lose productivity — we lose trust. What stood out in this session is that change is not just a reaction to competition or technology. It is an inevitable reality of growth.
Our goal isn’t to resist change or blindly push it — it’s to help teams navigate it with clarity, resilience, and empathy. Responsive leadership in change means aligning people with purpose, not just with plans.
Key Components of Change
1. Human Reaction to Change
Change is a human experience. It triggers uncertainty, discomfort, and sometimes resistance — even when it’s positive. People aren’t resisting change itself; they’re resisting the loss, fear, or ambiguity it brings.
Emotional vs Logical: Pain vs Gain
While logic tells us what will improve, emotion governs our reaction. Most change conversations start with data and end in silence — because we forget to meet people where they are emotionally.
We need to recognize the internal tension between pain (loss, confusion, fear) and gain (opportunity, growth, purpose) — and lead through both.
The Change Curve (Kubler-Ross)
We explored the change curve, adapted from grief psychology, showing how people move through stages: denial, resistance, exploration, and acceptance. Some speed through it. Others get stuck. Our job isn’t to push people along, but to support them where they are.
2. Supporting Change with Empathy
Three conversational postures were shared to support others through change:
- Support / Acknowledge: “That makes sense — I can see why this feels hard.”
- Open / Sorry: “I understand this impacts your workflow. I’m here if you want to talk.”
- Suggest: “Would it help to explore options together?”
This sequence matters. Start with validation, not solutions. Change fails when we ignore emotion and jump to answers.
# Weekly reflection prompt
echo "Where did I acknowledge emotion before offering direction?" >> change_leadership_log.txt
Who Moved My Cheese?
We revisited the classic parable as a metaphor for navigating change. It’s deceptively simple, but surprisingly relevant. The four characters (Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw) represent different reactions to uncertainty.
Coaching to be Adaptable
Everyone has a default response to change. Some people move early. Some analyze too long. Others freeze or resist. Instead of labeling them, we need to coach them through curiosity and possibility.
Logical/Personal vs Present/Possible
The most helpful coaching reframe was this:
- Hem (denial): “What would need to happen for you to reconsider?”
- Haw (reluctant): “What’s one small step forward you’d feel okay taking?”
- Sniff/Scurry (adaptive): “What signs helped you sense the change early?”
The idea isn’t to make everyone act like Scurry. It’s to help each person reflect, decide, and move with awareness.
Expect Change. Look for Signs. Adapt Quickly.
This became a kind of mantra. In complex systems, change is not the exception — it’s the rhythm. We do our teams a disservice when we treat it as an interruption. Instead, we can teach them to anticipate and adapt, rather than wait and react.
Impact of Change & Coping Strategies
We explored how different people experience the weight of change, and how important it is to match pressure with appropriate support.
Holmes & Rahe Scale
Change is cumulative. The Holmes and Rahe scale taught us that life events (even good ones) carry stress weight. Organizational change might be one event for leadership — but for a team member, it could stack on top of personal stress and emotional load.
Pressure vs Coping Strategies
Under pressure, our instinctive coping style kicks in. Some seek control. Others withdraw. Some distract. Some push harder. All are valid — but not all are healthy over time.
Leadership means helping your team develop conscious, healthy coping. That includes modeling your own.
Positive vs Negative Coping
We reflected on strategies like:
- Positive: journaling, talking to peers, planning small wins, asking for help
- Negative: avoidance, passive-aggressive behavior, burnout patterns, isolation
# Personal reminder
echo "Notice my coping strategy this week — and choose consciously." >> energy_check.txt
Communicating Change
Finally, none of this works if we don’t communicate well. Change leadership is not just about decisions — it’s about meaning-making.
Communicate with:
- Clarity: What is changing, when, and what it means.
- Empathy: What people might be feeling, and how it impacts them.
- Consistency: Repeat the message in different ways — not once, but often.
And most importantly, remember: communication is not a download — it’s a dialogue.
Leading change is a practice. It’s less about having answers and more about asking better questions, listening without defensiveness, and walking with others through ambiguity.
The strongest change leaders don’t just design new paths. They make space for people to walk them — at their own pace, with dignity, and with support.