3 Simple Steps to Lead Successful Change

We humans don’t like change because our minds seek to protect us from threats. Change is a significant threat thanks to the instincts and mindware programs that run our unconscious minds. Learning to work with these instincts and programs fuels our ability to lead powerful change in our organizations. First, let’s look at why we see change as a threat.

Why Humans Avoid Change

Your unconscious mind creates patterns to make its work more efficient. The more information your mind can process automatically, the more cycles are available to manage and respond to the important realtime information coming from our world – like a threat.

When our unconscious mind senses a delta between what it expects and what is potentially occurring, it sends out an error alert.

The patterns we create range from how we think about ourselves to how we swing that golf club. Our minds also create business patterns in thinking and behavior. These patterns and expectations range from our products, customers and competitors, to the processes, responsibilities and beliefs that drive our business.

When our unconscious mind senses a delta between what it expects (based on our patterns) and what is potentially occurring (the change), it sends out an error alert. This alert triggers our fear instincts, the same fight or flight instincts that govern our survival mind. The error trigger is so strong it causes physiological discomfort. So we avoid the change at any cost.

When a change in business is presented to our unconscious mind, we see that change as a threat and we either resist or avoid it. We also seek the safety and comfort of the status quo. That’s part of the status quo bias, which is another instinctual mindware program related to the threat response.

No wonder we see teams or entire organizations hanging onto “the way we’ve always done it”, even when “it” isn’t working and our businesses are suffering.  In the middle of that threatening situation – we instinctually seek the safe and known. Even if the downward spiral continues.

Leading Into Change

Thanks to the power of neuroscience, we know how to lead our minds to accept and even relish the changes we need to sustain successful growth. How? Here are three simple steps to lead successful change.

we instinctually seek the safe and known

1. Make the Status Quo Unsafe.  The first step is to show the unconscious mind that the status quo is not a safe haven. When our unconscious minds see that status quo as a potentially unsafe place – we will begin to look for new options.

When speaking with your teams, make the status quo less appealing by pointing out the inherent challenges, risks, and the downside potentials of remaining in that very status quo. You can also point to competitors or businesses inside or outside your industry that have shifted away from the status quo and into more success. I’m not talking about scaring your teams. The idea is to loosen the power of the status quo with a bit of reality, not increase their threat response. Be thoughtful.

2. Focus on Solutions.  As humans we are programmed to focus on the problems, especially when it comes to the problems driving our need for change. The challenge is that all the problems serve to instill more threat responses as we focus on what’s wrong, failing or just plain scary.

inherent challenges, risks, and the downside potentials of remaining in that very status quo

When leading change within your teams or organization, focus on the upside from the changes. Share details about the powerful solutions and the positive results that will come with the change. This solution-oriented focus shifts the unconscious mind into a positive and open state and that’s when creativity and excitement begin.

3. Ask questions and get people involved in their change. We’ve all had leaders tell us what and how we will change. It didn’t feel good, did it? Statements serve to narrow the mind, limiting our choices and responses. Instead, ask questions! Questions open the mind to seek more ideas and option. They also empower a person to feel involved and part of their change.

When speaking to your employees about a needed change – ask for their inputs. They know their roles best of all, so ask them what they believe needs to change for better results. Get them involved and open their mind with questions. This simple shift can and will increase your teams’ willingness and enthusiasm for making changes.

solution-oriented focus shifts the unconscious mind into a positive and open state and that’s when creativity and excitement begin.

The Bottom Line

Change is a given within any organization. Leading successful change can and will create competitive advantage for your organization.

Use these three simple steps and watch the results in your own teams. Before you know it – change will become the very thing your organization seeks as a powerful means of continued success.

Photo Credit from HERE

Rebel Brown

A masterful agent of change, for over 25 years Rebel has inspired, coached and empowered over 250 global organizations to ultimate performance and profitable market advantage. Rebel blends the power of neurosciences with her deep business expertise to guide executive and corporate clients to unleash their ultimate performance potential. She has been featured in First Business TV, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider and Business Week. Her best selling business book, Defy Gravity, is any leaders’ guide to breakout growth. Rebel’s Rebelations blog is read by thousands weekly. She is a an NSA and a Vistage International speaker, acting as a keynote speaker and leading workshops globally. She also was named one of the Top 100 Women in Computing. Besides speaking and writing, Rebel has vast consulting experience in shifting corporate perspectives to create breakout strategy, positioning for advantage and profitable growth. She works with US and European venture firms to successfully fund and launch companies. She also ran a consulting practice in Paris for two years, bringing European firms to the United States. Rebel is also the founder and director of the Unstoppable U Foundation, a non-profit program committed to guiding kids to know that they are born to be Unstoppable.