3 Stories to Tell in Change Management
Long story short. In times of change, people need to know what’s changing, what will stay the same, and how will we navigate it all.
Recently, I’ve been receiving requests for webinars and workshops on navigating change. Change management was already a bedrock skill of 21st-century leadership before COVID-19. Now, it’s even more so. Leaders are asking, “How do we help our teams deal with all this change?” And I always start my responses with this: You have to narrate the change.
My friend and colleague David Hutchens taught me something I use over and over with organizations that hire me. In times of change, people are paying attention to three things: novelty, continuity, and transition. To be effective in change management, leaders must tend to each of these. And they should do this by leading with stories.
Novelty is the new. It’s the change. What’s going to be different on the other side of this? What’s coming that we don’t have now?
Continuity is the steady. What from the past will continue? What isn’t going away? What will be the anchor that will hold us fast through the rough waters ahead?
Transition is the process. How will we navigate all this? How are we going to get from here to there?
Most leaders are very good at novelty. They love selling their teams on the great new reality that’s on its way. Which is good—because we need to know what’s changing. And at the same time, most leaders are also not as skilled or even cognizant of the continuity and transition.
Almost no one is on board for a total, 100% change. Something from the old story needs to carry over into the new story. Likewise, the true challenge of change management is not the change itself but rather the transition to the change. That’s where people get lost—and start leaving.
For your change management to be a success, you must engage all three of these. And no surprise—you should do this with stories.
People are over 20% more likely to remember something they learned through a story than through data, lectures, or didacticism. So whatever your most important messages are, put them into memorable stories.
“Whatever your most important messages are, put them into memorable stories. ”
A novelty story sounds like a vision story. David and I talk about the “Imagine a world…” story. Know of another organization that has already successfully implemented the change you’re pursuing? Tell a story of what’s happening over there so your team can see it in their minds. And remember: summary isn’t story; the story is in the details.
A continuity story often is one that features your values. Tell a story that shows something fundamentally true about your organization. What was true at the beginning that is true now and will be true even after the change sticks? Maybe there’s a powerful founding story here, or perhaps even your own origin story of joining the organization.
A transition story shows how your team can work together to achieve this change. In all likelihood, whatever change you are facing isn’t your team’s first. Find a story from a previous season of change that shows the way this transition can go if everyone stays connected. Think behaviorally here. What behaviors are you wanting to see from your team? Tell a story that features those.
Honestly, there’s no shortage of great advice on navigating change management. I’ve got my own offering around this too! But all of it comes down to these three pillars: novelty, continuity, and transition. Teams that make it through the change waters are teams that embraced each of these individually while also engaging them as a collective process.
