Pop quiz: which is the real driver of change?

Is it:

a) The crap current state—that is making you miserable? 💩

Or is it...

b) the irresistible draw of a perfect solution—that will finally make you happy? 🥇

ANSWER: If you're like most of us, you need both. Otherwise, the change won't feel like it's worth the effort.

Here’s the thing.

We are often stubborn when it comes to change—even when, on probability, it's in our own best interest.

It's like we need a coordinated huge SHOVE timed with a mighty HAUL to break us free from the familiar, even if it’s lousy.

For change to take hold, the current situation must be truly intolerable. AND, the proposed solution must be so seductive you can't imagine it not solving your problems.

If both are not believable and true for you, chances are—just like the findings suggest in the 1000+ employee Oak Change Report cited above—you'll resist, delay, dither, or let fear of the unknown win the day.

Behind the Curtain: a coaching client story

A client of mine needed to make a change to her team. Someone in an important position was under-performing. Despite trying everything, the level of frustration was rising with each passing week. Making things worse, now others on the team were increasingly disengaging or complaining about this person. It was effecting the bottom line, team culture, performance—it was bad, bad, bad. It couldn’t continue.

And yet, my client wasn’t making the needed change.

So we dug into why not.

When we really unpacked what was holding her back, it wasn’t what we might all suspect, i.e., that she was avoiding a difficult and emotional conversation (she genuinely liked this person).

In fact, it wasn’t that at all. This was a very experienced CEO.

No, what stood in her way was a lack of clarity on what lay on the other side of making this change. Yes, she needed to change from the current state. No question. But what was she changing things to, and why? She needed to design the new, enticing, future state first. Without this clearly scoped, she knew the change she wanted to make would not land uniformly well across the company.

What became clear in our work together, was that a re-organization, and reimagining of several senior roles needed to take place. So, we dug in and did some strategic thinking. Over the coming weeks, a new structure emerged that redistributed work and reporting in a more logical and effective way. With that developed, she knew she was ready. Now, she had a painful problem that needed solving, and a really enticing solution that could take its place. She had a complete change story to tell her team, and the wider organization.

Change is Both From and To (but goes Best When Done With)

Next time you see that the "change is not sticking" or your team is being "resistant to change" take a second look. Review the underlying context, the push and the pull, the “from” and the “to”.

Ask honestly: is the current state really, really bad? And, is the proposed solution really, really good?

If you're convinced both are indeed there, then ask yourself this follow up: does everyone share your belief? If you think they do, stay curious...how do you know this is true, for sure? (As in, have you included them in the design of the new solution, or (when possible) at the very least, asked them for their opinion?)

Remember: even small changes are a heavy lift for most people—especially if it feels like it’s being done “to you” as opposed to “with you.”

Be sure your push and pull are clearly identified, and that everyone involved agrees that things must change, and that the proposed solution will really deliver.