Change Management: Common Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

Guiding your company through change means navigating though a minefield of employee expectations and client needs, towards what will hopefully be greener pastures. There’s no question it’s a herculean task.

But oftentimes, leaders get so focused on the big picture that they forget to attend to some of the smaller details that, if left unattended, have the potential to sink the ship. Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid with change management.

Not communicating enough.

It really can’t be said often enough: communication is often the single biggest factor in determining whether or not a big change is successful.

Leaders who don’t communicate, or don’t communicate early enough are setting themselves up for a lot of employee discontent. The biggest favor you can do your team is being transparent throughout the process. Even when something goes wrong, your team will handle it much better if they’re told, and told early.

Change needs to be tied back to your company’s mission, vision and values.

Your core values as a company need to be present at all stages of the change process. First of all, remembering what’s important will help you make the right changes for the right reasons.

Then, being clear about why the change is necessary and why it furthers the core goals of the company will help explain to team members why it’s necessary.

Deal with those who would derail the process—and fast.

There will always be those who deal with change better than others. And there will always be those who have to be dragged into the new era kicking and screaming. Not everyone thrives on change.

Your challenge is to identify which individuals are most averse to change, and do it early on. Make sure those individuals get extra attention to understand why the change is necessary and what is expected of them. They may not love it, but they should never be allowed to derail the process.

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