How well does your team respond to change?

• Do they get on board quickly?
• Are they nimble, curious, and willing to push through the awkward learning curve?
• Do they sigh every time you mention a new initiative?
• Do they nod politely—with zero intention of shifting—hoping to wait you out?
• Or are they simply burnt out from too much change, too fast?

If your team embraces change, thank them. Often. Be specific. Let them know how much you appreciate their willingness to “step up to the plate” and get things done—even when it stretches them beyond their comfort zone.

If your team is change-averse, overwhelmed, or just plain exhausted, it may be time to implement a change upgrade—a refresh in how you frame, communicate, and experience change together.

Here are seven smart and human ways to begin:
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1. Start with a shared understanding of how people naturally respond to change.

To set the context and engage your team, have them take Ariane de Bonvoisin’s The First 30 Days Change Quiz.

Then discuss as a group:

• Are you someone who likes change or avoids it? Why?
• What changes have you enjoyed in our organization?
• What changes have been frustrating, hard, or scary?

This conversation normalizes the wide range of reactions people have—and reminds everyone they’re not alone.
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2. Share the reality: If we don’t play, we can’t win.

If we don’t consistently innovate, we eventually fall behind.

Use real stories:
Blockbuster and Kodak didn’t lean into digital evolution—they lost.
Facebook stepped beyond college campuses—they won.
Google expanded beyond search with AdWords—they won.
Yahoo hesitated—and faded.

Mini-Mantra: If we don’t play, we can’t win.

Helping your team understand the “why” of change builds alignment and reduces resistance.
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3. Speak to the upside—even when outcomes are unknown.

Change can feel uncomfortable, but it also stretches us in the best ways. It expands our comfort zones, sharpens our abilities, and reveals insights we’d never gain otherwise.

It’s internal career development—real-time learning, growth, and possibility.

Help your team see that butterflies in the stomach are often signs of evolution, not danger.
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4. Normalize the messiness of change.

Change is rarely linear. It’s usually two steps forward, one step sideways, and one step back. Sometimes you try something on, and it just doesn’t fit. That’s not failure—it’s failing forward.

Share stories about past changes that worked and changes that didn’t. What did you learn? What shifted afterward? Where did it eventually take you?

And with tougher changes, don’t sugarcoat it. Call the discomfort what it is. Your honesty builds psychological safety.

Mini-Mantra: Try. Learn. Adjust.
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5. Embrace the humor and humanity of it all.

Change is a shared journey. It’s rarely neat. Sometimes it’s downright messy. Ask your team to keep their sense of humor handy.

While we can’t always control the changes around us, we can control our response, attitude, words, and actions.

Remind people that they’re not navigating this alone—you’re in it together.
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6. Introduce the Growth Mindset.

Share Carol Dweck’s powerful work from Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

A Growth Mindset helps people focus on learning, iteration, and progress—not looking perfect or getting everything right on the first try.

It’s especially helpful for your perfectionists, your skeptics, and your quiet resistors.

This paradigm shift alone can dramatically change how your team experiences change.
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7. Show them how to actively support change.

Be explicit about what healthy change behavior looks like:

• When there’s ambiguity and you need clarity—ask for it.
• If you’re concerned—express it constructively.
• Release attachment to “the way things used to be.”
• Celebrate being uncomfortable—you’re learning.
• Lean on each other and share insights.
• Trust the intentions of your colleagues and the organization.
• Expect it won’t go perfectly—and bring empathy.
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These behaviors create a culture where change becomes more navigable, sustainable, and shared.

If you want to support your team in moving from Change Resistance to Change Resilience, we’re here to help. Reach out—let’s chat.

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