How Managers Embrace Change Like a Leader By Not Running Away From Friction

That noise you hear is the sound of change.

A change can live on or die when friction surfaces.

As a manager, when employees complain to you that change hurts, your response is critical.

Every change has two tensions.

It’s not only: “What should I be doing?”

It’s also: “What should I stop doing?”

Both together are trouble.

Leaving the comfort of the familiar inserts the knife. Adding new, uncertain behavior twists the knife. Doing both at the same time feels like you are bleeding out.

And as a manager, your response to the resulting noise (wailing) is a crucial moment of truth.

You can continue to be a manager or elevate to become a leader.

I’ve worked with over 150 product teams and their managers to navigate the rapids of change. Below, I have 4 simple steps I’ve seen work to help you show leadership in these moments. And stick around for my final piece of advice for safe navigation of large-scale change.

Let’s dive in.

This year, I’ve committed my focus to a concept called Lean Leverage, as described in my inaugural 2024 post. Each article I craft this year, including this one (the 12th in the series), will focus on an aspect of Lean Leverage. Enjoy and stay tuned for many ways to do more with less.

4 Steps Elite Leaders Actually Use To Outsmart and Side-step Change Friction

Employees bring problems to managers.

Managers solve employee problems.

But change is not a problem. It’s a necessity.

Managers tend to make a crucial mistake: they seek to contain the noise and find a compromise. This stops and often reverses change. But leaders are savvy. They side-step friction to stay on the path to better, and they end up accelerating change.

Want to learn how leaders do this? Here are 4 simple steps I’ve seen work, plus one piece of advice to make changing at scale safer for everyone.

Step 1: They expect it.

Change is an infinite journey.

And it’s not a straight path.

Smart leaders learn to be comfortable with both aspects. It’s their secret to not being phased when friction knocks at their door. They don’t flinch.

Here are some objections they expect:

“I was not hired to do this.”
“This is not how I’ve done things in the past.”
“This is not how our company does things.”
“Why would we stop doing what has worked for us in the past?”
“Why would we change to something when we don’t even know it will work?”
“Prove to me this will work before we try it.”

This is like someone learning how to swim. When the new swimmer is holding on to the wall, learning to kick, you don’t hear cries of joy. You hear cries of pain, pleas to stop, and demands to get out of the pool.

A leader knows the pain of learning new moves is part of the change journey.

They expect it, so when it arrives, they are not surprised. The wise leader knows initial change discomfort is unavoidable. So, when friction arrives, they invite it in like an old friend.

Normalize your response to friction by embracing it.

Step 2: They don’t react on gut feel.

When friction arrives, even if you are ready for it, your pulse races.

The vein in your neck bulges.

The comforting calm of before calls back to you.

Every fiber of your being wants to solve this problem and make it go away.

You may worry your employees will quit or give bad feedback on your management abilities. What if your boss finds out about this issue? Your gut tells you with certainty you need to squash this upheaval before it’s too late. Even you may not believe the change will work. Stopping the change seems like the sane choice.

Don’t act on your impulse.

This feeling is your signal to pause. Remember, the friction is part of the game of change. Remind yourself that changing is better than stagnation. Take a beat to reflect and calm your mind. Your employees are watching you. They will take cues from your reaction to give up or hold strong.

A leader does not make decisions in the heat of the moment.

They sleep on it. Everything seems clearer after a short break. But that said, it may not.

If you are still unsure after a break how to proceed, step 3 can help.

Step 3: They seek outside counsel.

Humility can be your friend when the path forward is opaque.

It’s OK to seek support, to ask for input.

Change is easier to navigate in numbers or with supporting evidence. It’s likely others have experienced your situation before and navigated it successfully. Get curious and ask around or seek documented experiences.

Here are some ideas :

Ask for help from an unbiased external or internal coach.
Ask other leaders what they have done in a similar situation.
Get guidance from someone in the change management department.
Ask other teams who have made successful, hard changes in the past.
Ask your manager (if they buy into and support the change).
Research case studies about your scenario to get ideas (a wealth of this exists online, in forums, and in books).

A note of caution: don’t seek help from those who might side with your decision to fall back to the prior state. Support in numbers can work both ways with change. Avoid support in the wrong direction.

Once you again have your footing, step 4 should be easy.

Step 4: They re-orient and make it safe to stay the course, do the reps.

Go back to the why.

When employees become frustrated, remind them of the problem they are solving. Point them back to the pain from the past behavior. And reorient them to the better future they are seeking.

This will diffuse the friction for them (and for you).

Learning any new skill requires many repetitions and missteps along the way. Ensure your people know you support and are making space for this learning process. This includes when they falter. Provide them with access to a coach to instruct them in the moment and help to keep them on course.

The safety you build will reduce the stress of change and dampen the potential for friction.

Change will move smoother and faster with safety and reinforcement. Like a new swimmer, your people won’t be kicking while holding on to the side of the pool forever. Before long they will be doing the butterfly in the deep end and nailing backflips off the diving board.

The safe, supported pursuit of purposeful change makes navigating the inevitable rapids easier.

Don’t get burned alive: avoid the blazing change fire from too much friction.

Large-scale change can generate a ton of friction and start a raging fire.

Don’t Create Too Much Friction at Once | Image by DALL-E

Change at scale generates significant stress with your employees and you as a manager. The impact radius of all teams changing at once creates whiplash for you as a manager. You won’t be able to keep up with reorienting them and making change safe.

So, contain the impact by starting with one team or group at a time.

The success of one area will make the next one in line go smoother. It will be easier on those going through the change and easier for you to lead it. Plus, you can lean on members of the first change group to help with the next.

Change is like any new habit: the more you practice it, the easier it gets.

Start small and build incrementally.

That’s it. I hope this helps you as a manager show leadership in navigating change. Let me know if you have other techniques of your own. I, too, am always looking to evolve.

Lastly, give this article to a manager you know who might benefit from it.

TL;DR

Here are 4 pivotal steps leaders use to navigate change friction effectively. Plus, some strategic advice for executing large-scale change safely.

Step 1: Expect Resistance — Understand that resistance is part of the process. This prepares you for navigating it.

Step 2: Pause and Think Before You Act — Avoid knee-jerk reactions that could halt or reverse progress. Thoughtful responses promote enduring change.

Step 3: Leverage Collective Wisdom — Seek diverse opinions to provide strength, clarity, and courage. This will help you navigate out of the resistance.

Step 4: Anchor in Purpose and Safety — Remind your people of the reasons behind the change. And build space and safety around the learning process.

Advice for Large-scale Change — Too much change at once will give you whiplash. Change one team or group at a time to contain the impact and build momentum quicker.

THANK YOU!

I hope you found this post useful.

For more content like this, join me and a tribe of modern thinkers on the quest for Lean Leverage. Get weekly tips, strategies, and resources to remove the inessential to deliver maximum outcomes while respecting people.
→ Click here to join the journey.

Blogs