With any leadership or supervisory transition, there are bound to be changes introduced. To help those affected by the new ways of working, it is helpful if the leader sets the context for the adjustments.
Examples include:
- “We’re altering this process so that…”
- “We need to revise how we do X because…”
- “We’re making an adjustment to X in order to…”
- “We’re experimenting with X to see if…”
- “We’re trying to accomplish X by doing Y.”
- “We hope to see X when we do Y.”
- “This is why we’re making the change.”
Just as toddlers don’t like the “because I said so” rationale given to them by exasperated parents, neither do team members react well to demands not placed in a bigger picture. You can save some pushback by helping your staff understand how a change fits into where you’re coming from and where you’re trying to go.
