Letting Go

Sometimes, when we try to improve systems and processes, we put all our time into designing the future. Often, though, the hardest part of implementation is getting people to let go of the past.

When faced with the prospect of change, our teams focus on the past in several ways. First of all, they replay in their minds all the initiatives and projects that have petered out or failed. You have to make a compelling argument for why this time is different. How have you learned from your mistakes? How have you resourced this effort differently? How is the resolve and support of the organization more robust than before? If you can’t answer these questions, it’s hard to get people to face change with any degree of optimism. 

People also get caught up in sunk costs. The time and effort they’ve put into making the current systems work feel like real investments. You have to show them how their workarounds, though ingenious and familiar, and effective to a point, are holding them back. You have to sell them on a vision for a better future.

Finally, people cling to the past because the future is scary. Uncertainty is the very core of anxiety, and people tend to hang on to the devil they know, rather than the devil they can’t even see. People need to know that they aren’t leaping off a cliff, they’re climbing down from a tree. You’ll take it a branch at a time. You’ll test each one to make sure it will support your weight. You’ll take your time, and do it together. 

Having a plan for what comes next is important. Letting go of what came before is imperative.