Last week, we talked about the chaos of literal and figurative storms that happen in our lives. This week, we’ll take it to the other end of the water spectrum. Imagine being at a nice, calm lake where the water is glassy smooth. It’s quiet with the exception of a few birds singing their morning songs. You pick up a stone and toss it into the water. That distinct deep plop sound breaks the silence, and then the ripples begin to spread out and break the stillness of the water.
In many ways, that action and event mimics what we do in life. We are constantly throwing stones in the lake called Life.
What are the ripples that we make?
We make ripples every day in what we do by how we show up in our environments, and the choices that we are constantly making. At times, ripples can be those big “throw a giant rock in the water” events. For me, highlights from my career, including erasing the gender gap in leadership at multiple organizations, certainly fall into that category. Those types of moments can feel like a giant boulder hitting the water, impacting the land below, and ultimately changing the makeup of the lake forever.
Not all ripples are boulder-sized. Larger rocks may include items like a long weight loss journey, securing a sizeable budget for a project, or successfully wrapping up an educational achievement. Smaller ripples may include things like establishing a great working relationship with an individual, nailing a big test at school, or finishing that garden project in your backyard.
You are constantly causing ripples in your personal life, in your work environment, and even in those that you know and care about on a consistent basis.
Ripples require an intentional act
When I would camp with my son when he was in Cub Scouts, we always had a tradition of walking down to the lake first thing, and throwing and skipping rocks in the lake. He would go along the edge of the lake picking out the perfect rocks – flat and smooth rocks for skipping and large, heavy rocks to make a big splash. We’d then do our best to see how many skips we could get with a rock or how many ripples we could get with a big rock. As much fun as we had, none of it was by accident. We intentionally went to the lake. We sought out the right kinds of rocks. How we threw them in changed depending on what we wanted them to do. A fun and memorable moment filled from end to end with intent.
The biggest ripples will always come from intent. Think about some of the highlights of your career or best moments from your personal life. They likely are filled with intent as well. Some actions that can give you clarity and focus on creating impactful ripples include:
Set a clear goal of what you are trying to achieve – A strong point of reference and vision will help you in those tough and challenging times.
Focus on one or two things – Find those couple of actions “rocks” that you want to work on in order that make a difference. Focusing on too many things may result in very few or none coming into existence. Be sure that the thing that you focusing on is realistic to achieve.
Focus on consistency – Practice getting in the zone and becoming consistent in change actions or changes instead of trying to start off with something massive that can become overwhelming and ultimately prevent you from being successful. An example of this in your personal life may be to focus on eating one healthy meal a day instead of losing 10 lbs in a week.
Practice kindness and compassion to others and yourselves – It often takes a lot of effort to lift that big rock and drop it in the water to make a big splash. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it! Be sure to take time to check in with your team and working group as you work towards success. They’ll need reminders of the Why of the work and may need different or additional resources or help as time goes on. Don’t forget yourself along the way as well! Be kind to yourself and don’t be too hard on yourself as those setbacks come your way.
Areas to consider “tossing your rocks” in:
Social and community needs
Volunteering and impact
Your personal well-being and self-care
Impact on your business
Impact on the customer
Impact on your employees
A GPA goal in school
Graduating or completing the course in a certain timeframe
X number of achievements or recognition by graduation
Ripples don’t last forever
For better or worse, ripples don’t last forever. They become less pronounced as they move further and further away from the point of impact until they blend into the stillness of the rest of the water.
Poor decisions and impact: Thankfully, this illustration gives us hope in those times that we make poor decisions that have a ripple effect in our lives. Time certainly has a way of smoothing situations out, and in the workplace, there is likely a larger ripple that minimizes or even erases your ripple. When you make a poor choice ripple remember a couple of things: 1) That more than likely the impact won’t last forever, even when it stings today. 2) One wrong decision or action doesn’t stop you from learning and making a positive impact in the future.
For positive impacts: It feels good to be a part of something that makes a big impact and has a far-reaching ripple effect! For high performers, it’s often of of the types of assignments or work that they chase the most. When those moments come, it’s important to celebrate, but it’s also important to remember that you can’t ride that success forever. I can think of many impactful things I accomplished in my 10 years since Passing the Baton started, that people don’t remember anymore. In the fast-paced world that we live in, it may only take 10 months instead of 10 years for people to forget the impact and ripples that you made.
You can’t create just one ripple and expect long-lasting success. You’ve got to be intentional to keep tossing those proverbial stones that create consistent ripples of impact. Your portfolio of success will leave a lasting legacy, and you’ll help smooth out those mistakes and missteps in the process as well.
Stay intentional to keep making ripples that positively impact your work life and personal lifestyle. You have nearly limitless potential to make a difference in your community and in others in a life-changing way. Your ripples matter, so make sure that they are ones that you are proud of.
The flashes of light. The clap and rumble of thunder. Storms make themselves known as they begin to move through a community. You may associate storms with trouble or even a cleansing event. Much like challenges and trouble that makes its way into our personal and professional lives, sometimes you get an impending feeling of dread as you feel it approaching, or it happens suddenly out of nowhere. Today, we’ll look at storms and how they can influence how we lead ourselves and others.
Prepare for the storm, even in the sunny days
Last year, we had a really heavy storm roll through our community, dumping a month’s worth of rain in just a couple of days. It was so bad that we got water in our basement. We’d been in our house for a couple of years at that point and had never experienced this issue before. We did our best to mitigate the problem, and once we storm was over, I began investigating what led to the problem. What I found was a clogged gutter that had resulting in concentrated amounts of water overwhelming the corner of the house….. the area right above the basement where the water had come in.
It had been sunny and rain-free for quite a while before the storm came, and I never thought to check and clean the gutters. When the problem suddenly showed up, it was too late.
Sometimes when things are great, whether it’s in business or in our own personal lives, it can be easy to relish those moments and get comfortable. As I was reminded during my basement incident, the best time to prepare for a storm is when it’s sunny outside.
Areas to consider as you prepare for that next storm:
Work
Take time to audit your team and its processes. What’s running well and what needs need to be addressed to make things better or more efficient?
Check in on employee engagement and sentiment. How are people feeling? What are their thoughts on the future of the team and org? What is their trust level of their leaders?
Check in on costs and investments. Are things still healthy and true? What new investments need to be made and resources re-routed to better support the future?
Personal
How are those relationships with those that you care most about? Is there someone that you haven’t connected with in a while that you need to reach out to? Do you need to invest some quality time with a person?
How are you feeling emotionally, spiritually, and physically? Are there steps that you can take to raise your level of self-care and well-being?
How are finances and your sense of security? How prepared are you for an unexpected challenge or expense when it hits?
Communicate well with others during the storm
I have a love-hate relationship with storms. I enjoy a good downpour and even thunderstorms. It can be a calming experience or a great reminder of the power of nature, depending on the storm’s severity. I’ve also nearly had my life ended a few times due to storms, so there’s that!
I once camped with a group of scouts out at a farm in Louisiana in the springtime. We had seen that there was a potential for some rain, but nothing too bad was forecasted. That night, the storm really had picked up, and it was becoming pretty scary with just a nylon tent separating us from the violent winds and rain. We suddenly heard our scoutmaster yelling for us. “Leave everything behind, we are evacuating to the barn!” We quickly threw on rain jackets and ended up spending the night in the hay and dirt inside the big barn that was on the farm.
The next morning, we returned to our campsite to see that nothing was there. It was all gone! After searching for a while, we found all of our tents and gear tangled up in a fence nearly a half mile away.
Storms can be scary and overwhelming for people at times. When those moments happen, it’s an important moment for you as the leader to step up and help guide others.
Be clear, concise, and intentional – The scoutmaster didn’t beat around the bush. Get up, get out, and evacuate to the barn, was all that needed to be said in our instructions.
Be a steady voice for those who are unsure or frightened – People will likely look to you for reassurance during these troubling and concerning situations. Be transparent and share what you can with others, and be caring and empathetic once you are out of immediate danger.
Communicate well through your non-verbals – Whether you are leading people in a virtual environment or it’s an in-person incident, people will be watching you. Be mindful of your non-verbal communications during these times, to ensure you are presenting yourself that is reassuring to others.
The cleanup is never fun, but necessary
Cleaning up after a big storm is never fun. I can’t say that I enjoyed moving a bunch of stuff in my basement and then drying everything out after the big rain. Picking up all the rain-soaked and torn gear caught in the fence in my scouting days wasn’t among the funnest things I’ve done either. Regardless, both were necessary. Some areas to consider as you work through clean-up from any kind of storm include:
The people- You need to check in on your people during physical storms, but you also do so during those proverbial storms that happen in work and life as well. How are they handling things after the incident? What support do they need to get back on their feet?
Assessing the damage – What damage has been done outside of the initial incident that led to even more trouble that you can fix now?
Work example: The storm may be due to a layoff situation, but some more trouble and drama was caused because a leader did not handle themselves well as the process was rolled out.
Home example: An unexpected medical incident has happened to someone you care about. You handled the initial situation well, but the stress of the situation and the impending costs caused you to make some poor decisions that impacted you and others along the way.
One of my former pastors once shared a statement that has resonated with me to this day. “You are either coming out of a storm in life, you are currently in one, or you are heading towards one.” That’s just life. Learn and internalize those leadership and life lessons that come from the storms in life so that you are better prepared for when the next one happens.
We must do what they fear – tell the truth, spread the truth. This is the most powerful weapon against this regime of liars, thieves, and hypocrites. Everyone has this weapon, so make use of it. -Alexei Navalny
Alexei Nvalany grew up splitting his time between military bases in Russia and spending the summer in what’s now Ukraine. His worldview was influenced heavily growing up by several world events. First was the Chernobyl disaster and the impact that it had on his extended family and friends who lived in the area. Life on a military base influenced him – He saw firsthand the sacrifices that were being made in the Russian-Afghanistan war, and experienced shortfalls in provisions where his family struggled to get milk at times for his little brother. There was also the fall of the USSR and a glimpse into a new level of freedom that showed him what the possibilities could be for his community.
Alexei would grow up to be a great leader for the Anti-Corruption Foundation and would make headlines across the globe for his activism and drive to secure the Russian people the freedom that they desired.
He followed his convictions
There are few people in our current era who have led a life of conviction like Alexei Navalny. He was a man who saw the impact that a corrupt and power-hungry government had on its people. Alexei initially tried to make an impact as a lawyer and later ran for office, but truly found his calling as an advocate for reform using social media. He would commonly call out corruption of the highest-ranking officials and their associates.
In his words, his actions were driven by a few principles. “The best way to elect leaders is through honest and free elections. Everyone needs a fair legal system. Corruption destroys the state. There should be no censorship.” All of these things are easy to say, and easy to agree with in a free country, but extremely difficult to change in a place where those liberties aren’t already afforded to its people.
Alexei ultimately gave up everything to follow and stand by his convictions.
What do you believe in so much that it guides your actions? Think this week about those subjects and categories of things and evaluate:
What has changed over the years for you? Were there events or growth that evolved your view?
How have you advocated for yourself and others in those areas/
Are there opportunities to continue to grow or refine your convictions?
Your convictions will heavily influence, just as they did with Alexei, the legacy that you leave (or don’t) during your time on Earth.
He knew the danger and stepped up anyway
Alexei had at least two assassination attempts on his life. In 2017, he was sprayed in the face with a bright-green dye that was filled with unknown chemicals. He lost 80% of his sight in his left eye. In 2019, he was imprisoned and later sent to the hospital for severe allergic reactions in his eyes and skin. His personal doctor determined that he had come in contact with “the damaging effects of an undetermined chemical.” In 2020, a Russian group laced his underwear with a highly potent chemical agent and nearly succeeded in killing him. His flight was diverted as he became ill mid-flight and fell into a coma. It wasn’t until he was moved to Germany under the care of their best doctors that he began to make a recovery.
All of that happened in just three years.
Each attempt made him more passionate and determined to seek freedom for the Russian people. Sometimes we’ll be called to step up, and perhaps the threat or consequence will be much smaller than what Alexei faced, but it will still cause you to pause before taking that brave step forward. When the time comes and your inner voice is telling you to give up and walk away, remember your “Why”. Why are you leading like you are? Who are you representing? Who is counting on you? What are the implications if you do walk away? Sometimes getting re-grounded in your purpose helps give you that mental fortitude to keep pushing forward.
He kept a sense of humor even in the toughest of times
Alexei had a great sense of humor that shone through no matter how dire the situation was. You would think that after two confirmed assassination attempts, he would be pretty bitter. I know that I would be! He never lost that core cheerfulness of who he was. It can be seen in the documentary “Navalany” as he shares his story of tracking down the group that tried to kill him the second time. He’s also seen watching Rick and Morty on the flight back to Russia, where he knows that he will be immediately arrested and put in prison. In his book, Patriot, the second half of the book is a collection of letters he wrote from prison leading up to his death. He is in one of the worst prisons in the world, and he describes in funny detail the doctors, guards, and prison environment itself.
He refused to let a person or government steal his joy.
Humor is a great trait to infuse into your leadership (Show #44). It shows authenticity to those that you lead, makes you more relatable to others, and helps you not take yourself too seriously. Are you intentional in being light-hearted with yourself and others? Areas to focus on here include:
Find the humor in everyday things – Even when Alexei was moved to solitary confinement and “exercise time” was moved to 6.30 AM in the artitc, he found the humor in everyday things. He wrote about the silliness of the guards dressed up watching him in the cold, enjoying brisk walks in the small confined outdoor spaces, and what the guards and interviewers would talk about with him.
Focus on the positive – Knowing that his imprisonment length kept getting extended, he knew it would take the fall of the regime to get him out of prison. Despite a hopeless situation, he worked on his mindset to appreciate the small things that were going on around him, his interactions with others, writing his letters, and the rare chances to meet people he knew face to face. Thankfully, our situations aren’t this dire, but what a great reminder to seek out those positive things that happen around us, even in the hard times.
Understand when to leverage humor – Alexei was extremely witty and smart. Although his humor got him into trouble with the government on a number of occasions, he understood, especially in prison, how humor could be properly used. He still kept his humor with the guards and doctors, but kept the most witty things in his letters. Remember that there is a right and wrong time to lean into humor.
A few interesting facts
He convinced the government to establish an election process for the Mayor of Moscow. They agreed and in 2013, placed 2nd in the race. Although he did not win, it raised his prominence as an opposition leader in the country.
Navalny was a Yale World Fellow – a member of a prestigious program for leaders and policymakers.
He won multiple awards, including the European Parliament’s human rights prize; The Courage Award from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights; and the Dresden Peace Prize, among others.
His parents are basket-making factory owners, and he considered himself half Russian, half Ukrainian.
His lawyers were arrested, imprisoned, and charged with “participating in an extremist community” for passing on his letters and messages from prison to the public. Those letters make up the 2nd half of his memoir.
Alexei Navalny was a leader whom I greatly admired. He was a man who truly stood on his convictions and fought for the rights of the people of his nation. He truly lived his life as a leader and ultimately paid the price with his life because he refused to back down or give up. I highly recommend the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny as a starting point to dive into his story and his memoir, Patriot, as a further read. Below is a portrait of Alexei that is on display in our home, by Atlanta artist Fabian Williams.
Forgiveness is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and someone else. Neither you nor I are perfect. Your company will fail you. Your team will fail you. Those who are close to you outside of work will fail you. You are also going to fail all three of those groups as well.
Forgiveness is not about forgetting or excusing harmful behavior; it’s about releasing yourself and others from the grip of resentment. Holding onto bitterness erodes connection, trust, and peace. In leadership and life, forgiveness is an intentional act of strength that creates space for healing, growth, and restored relationships.
Forgiveness is hard work, especially when trust has been broken or the pain is fresh. You’re not weak for struggling with it; it just shows that you are human. When you choose to move toward forgiveness, even slowly, you open the door to healing and real peace.
Acknowledge the hurt
Forgiveness doesn’t start with pretending everything is okay—it starts with telling yourself the truth about what happened. The hurt, betrayal, or disappointment you experienced is valid. Naming and acknowledging those feelings doesn’t make you bitter; it makes you honest with yourself and the situation.
Before we can begin to forgive someone, we need to face the impact of what happened without guilt for having feelings. Many of us were taught to suppress pain or were told things like, “Just let it go,” or “Don’t make a big deal out of it.” But unspoken pain doesn’t disappear…. it just festers.
When you avoid naming the hurt, you also delay the healing. Forgiveness becomes hollow; something you say you’ve done, but deep down still feel stuck in. Real acknowledgment means sitting with what happened and letting yourself feel and understand. Some self-reflection questions that can help are:
What exactly hurt you? Was it betrayal, neglect, disrespect, or something else?
What did it cost you? Trust, time, confidence, relationship equity, peace?
What are you still carrying from that experience? What impact has this had on your thought process, mental space, or even physical behaviors?
The point here isn’t to wallow in self-pity, it’s to tell yourself the truth because you can’t release the burden and weight until you recognize it.
Separate the person from the behavior
This step is difficult, especially when someone’s actions feel personal or deeply damaging. But here’s a truth that’s helped many leaders I’ve worked with: People are not the sum of their mistakes (and neither are you). Even the people who hurt us are often hurting themselves, or acting from broken places we can’t see.
Forgiveness becomes possible when we stop defining someone entirely by what they did. That doesn’t mean what they did is okay. It means we’re choosing to see their humanity instead of only their failure.
A self-reflection question you may ask yourself is, “What story or history might explain why they acted this way?” The point of the question is not that you look for a reason to rationalize or excuse the behavior, but sometimes understanding can soften the resentment just enough to allow some grace for the other person.
Keep short accounts
I had a whole slew of issues with my father as an adult – betrayal, broken trust, fabrication of the truth, and lack of communication led to us not talking for a number of years. He missed the birth of both my children, and we would go for years without talking or seeing each other. At some point, I realized that forgiveness wasn’t just letting him off the hook for his actions, but holding on to those negative feelings was also holding me back. That self-revelation ultimately led to me calling my dad one day to simply say that I forgave him.
After that event, we began to talk a bit more, and when even got together a couple of times, where he got a chance to meet the kids. About a year later, he passed away very unexpectedly. Can I tell you how thankful I was that I didn’t have to carry that regret of not forgiving him and carrying a burden of guilt and anger the rest of my life?
The longer you hold onto offense, the heavier it gets. Practice the habit of checking in with yourself regularly. “What am I holding onto that I need to release?” Don’t let unspoken frustration turn into long-term disconnection. You never know what circumstances may change, where you are no longer afforded the opportunity to forgive the person.
Set boundaries without bitterness
One of the biggest misconceptions about forgiveness is that it means letting someone right back into your life the same way. But forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing. You can forgive someone and still decide that certain behaviors, access, or dynamics are no longer acceptable. That’s not punishment; that’s protection and what’s best for you. In the example with my father, I had internally forgiven him and then went on a new journey. “Now what do I do?” was a consistent thought that I pondered on during that time. Should I reach out? Should I just leave things the way that they are and rest in the fact that I no longer carry the weight of resentment like I had for years? Do we just act like nothing ever happened?
I ultimately settled on that while I would reach out, I wasn’t quite ready to jump right back into things. We talked for a few months before we actually met. We got together for lunch as my family was getting ready to move about 10 hours away from his home, and that would end up being the last time that I would see him alive. After our get-together, we agreed to talk about once a month on the phone. It felt good to talk and share about life again,
Setting boundaries can actually be a sign that you’re healing. You’re no longer driven by revenge or fear, but by wisdom and peace. In my case, the physical distance put a natural barrier there between us. That may not be your circumstance, but remember that it is ok to think through and pre-establish what those barriers may look like, from time, distance, types of interactions, and other areas.
Forgiveness isn’t weakness, it’s actually strength with direction. It’s leadership of your own heart. It’s choosing freedom over bitterness, not because the other person deserves it, but because you do.
If you’re struggling to forgive, take heart: You’re not out of place. You’re in process. Keep going, and you’ll find that the baton you’re passing, whether to your team, your family, or your future self, is lighter and stronger than before.
The world keeps changing, and a clear indicator of that is the use of AI. What started out as an out-there Sci-fi concept has turned into a tool that your parents and maybe even grandparents know about and are using today. AI has had a monumental impact on the interview process. It can almost feel like a cat-and-mouse game, each side trying to outmaneuver the other. For those not in the game, it can make an intimidating process feel even more so. Today, we’ll help you think through AI and how you can leverage this tool successfully as you look to land your next role.
AI can help you prep for the interview
The bot that can kick out an anime version of yourself or tell a joke can actually be leveraged in a much more productive way when it comes to preparing for your next role. It’s a great sidekick that can polish (or even create) a resume and can be a sounding board for you as you prepare for a big interview.
What to do:
Research the company and plug that information into AI to build a frame of reference for your preparation
Consider leveraging AI to scan your resume and make suggestions on what to improve or what to tailor for the role that you are interested in.
Search to see if you can find what kind of interview questions the company asks. Use those questions with AI to help with interview prep. You can even practice your answers with it! Remember that AI isn’t totally unbiased, so take its feedback with that understanding.
For those who feel like they aren’t getting the responses and answers that they are looking for, consider researching or taking a class on AI prompts. How you enter your questions and commands makes all the difference in the effectiveness of the tool. For example, a prompt of “Ask me an interview question about customer service” may get you something being more specific will help you even more. “Give me an interview question about dealing with a customer service issue at ________ company. Pretend you are the hiring leader and ask the question like you are interested in how I react under pressure to meet a customer’s needs.”
When I used those two prompts, I received a generic customer service question. When I used the second prompt and with the company as Starbucks, it gave me a tailored question and included a scenario of a busy day where I had to take care of the customer while keeping the line moving.
Understand the organization’s rules on AI
It’s easy to say that the problem with the hiring experience falls on the company. Like many simple statements, this one is more complex than it seems. Most good companies don’t want to have a complex and challenging interview process. They prefer a simple, authentic, and enjoyable process for both parties. Companies are also combating their own candidate challenges: People interviewing on behalf of someone else, candidates abusing AI in the interview process to prop up their lack of experience, and even pretending to be someone entirely to get a job. Those issues and others have caused companies to react, and the result is an even less candidate-friendly process than before.
What to do:
Check the site for its AI policy around interviews. Companies are beginning to post their stance on the use of AI during the interview process, and some are even sharing what their own use of AI is in the process as well.
Many companies are adjusting their interview process, going back to in-person and on-camera interviews. If that’s the case, remember to check their dress code policy with the recruiter so you can match the culture of the organization.
In virtual interviews, be very mindful of how you are presenting yourself during the conversation. You don’t want to come off like you are using AI tools if the company forbids them for use.
Have a perspective on AI to share
While the topic of AI in the workplace is still evolving, it’s becoming a more common topic in the interview process. The interviewer may be interested in your thoughts, experience, or curiosity on the subject. It’s best to be prepared just in case.
What to do:
They may ask you if you used AI while applying. Be honest and share how you leveraged the tool.
Be ready to discuss the benefits and limitations of AI in the role that you are applying for and in general use that may apply to the company.
Take time to understand how AI models work. (It’s not as complicated as it may seem)
Show enthusiasm and curiosity about the subject. We are all learning it in real time together.
Avoid overstating your expertise and knowledge about AI.
AI has proven that it’s not just a tech fad that will soon fade away. Use it to help you along your journey, and be prepared to share about the topic with others so that they know you are a curious and forward-thinking candidate.
When you think about change initiatives that happened at work, how many of them were implemented well? More than likely, the majority did not. Change is hard personally, and it’s even harder to lead a team or organization, though. We previously covered a series on change management (Episodes 450 – 453). Even with that guidemap we can get it wrong along the way. As you work through and lead a change, it can be helpful to know what to look out for – what others have struggled with in leading in this area. Today, we are going to look at the common mistakes that are made when it comes to implementing change.
We skipped the Why
There are very few times when the why of change is not important. The only time that I can think of in my own career when the why wasn’t a strong need was when I was in the military. Most soldiers are charged with executing an order and are not expected to question that order. In the civilian world, you need a strong why to convey the need to pick up and make a change. When leaders don’t explain why a change is happening, it creates a leadership vacuum. People will fill in the blanks with their own assumptions, and they are usually negative ones. They might think the change is about control, cost-cutting, or lack of trust when the true why may be about innovation and growth.
Start by clearly defining the problem that the change solves. Help them see a better world on the other side of the change.
Connect the change to the team’s mission and values. The stronger the values are in your organization, the more you should lean into this area.
Share stories or data that show what’s not working and what could be better.
Reinforce the “why” consistently, not just once in a kickoff meeting.
We missed the mark on communication
Communication during a change needs to be a steady drumbeat. Similar to a lack of why, when there is silence, it will breed uncertainty. Vague updates cause anxiety. (How do you feel when you hear, “Lots of changes on the horizon.”?) On the flip side, constantly talking about a change without follow-through will make people tune out from your message.
Use multiple channels: team meetings, emails, 1:1s, internal newsletters, and larger town halls.
Set a cadence: weekly or biweekly updates help maintain rhythm. Keep that rhythm even if there aren’t a lot of updates to share at that particular moment. It can be as simple as “Here is what we learned and did this week, and here is what’s next.”
Be honest about setbacks or unknowns—it builds credibility. Don’t sugarcoat the process.
Celebrate milestones and quick wins to keep momentum.
We didn’t consider people’s emotions
When a change is cascaded out, it will no doubt hit people differently,y and when you step back to think about it, it makes total sense. You likely don’t coach and lead your people all the same way. For some, the change will be exciting. For others, it’s scary. If you treat the process like a checklist instead of a journey, you’ll lose the hearts you need to drive the change. The other callout here is that a person’s emotions can be different from one change to another. Perhaps a person is excited about a change to a new bonus structure because they can see themselves making more money, and that same person is disheartened that a program that they enjoy using is sunsetting for something new.
Have empathy check-ins—ask how people feel, not just how they are doing in their work.
Identify “loss points” for people: Is it status or comfort? Confidence? Convenience?
Allow space for grieving the old way of things. That’s normal and healthy to go through.
Build a shared vision of the future so the change feels like progress, not punishment.
We forgot to equip and empower
“Go that way” is not enough to tell a person when it comes to change. You’ve got to give them a map, compass, and the training to get there. In scouts and in the military, we don’t just hand a person a compass and a map and send them off into the wilderness. We show them how to read a map. Then, how to set a bearing and track it, and finally,y how to set a pace count so they can track distance. Without teaching a person what they need to do, or how they go about it, when it comes to change, the likelihood of that change failing. It’s essential that they have the knowledge and confidence to succeed.
Offer hands-on training and give people time to adjust.
Identify Change Champions within the team—people who can influence peers and support the rollout.
Give ownership. Let teams contribute ideas on how to implement change in their context.
Recognize and reward people who model the change well.
If you aren’t currently dealing with a change, you are about to be. Change is constant and inevitable. Change management isn’t about having a perfect plan; it’s about leading with empathy, clarity, and consistency. When you focus on the people as much as the process, you don’t just manage change, you lead through it.
