If you have read Shantaram, you might remember: “Sometimes you have to surrender before you win”. (And if you have not read it yet, I highly recommend to add Shantaram to your book list.) Hence, it only makes sense to plan for this time and to use it consciously and productively. And more specifically, use it as an opportunity to strengthen your team, the bond within and with it, and intensify the trust by assuring straightforward communication. Reciprocity works: you being as candid and as transparent as you can possibly be, will contribute into how much people will trust you throughout the transition, so perceive it as an investment. In sum, it adds to your trustworthiness, authenticity and credibility.    

Considering what we have discussed earlier, here are a couple of points you might want to keep in mind while preparing your change project in general and your communication strategy in particular. Obviously, the list is neither mandatory nor exhaustive – the magic “it depends” joins the game.

• Be clear about the “why”. If you are not convinced that the change initiative is a good idea – why should anybody else be, let alone follow you in this endeavour? Spend some time distilling the “why” and make sure you include the one-two concise main points in your communication.
• Know your audience. Prepare with your audience in mind. Who are they? How do you want to address them? And, most importantly, how would your audience prefer to be addressed? Will a couple of logical arguments suffice, or should you involve your audience on emotional level? Whatever you decide, just a small hint: most of the people do not like to be treated like idiots, so the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So, do choose your words, but obvious sugar-coating will not take you far.
• Let that sink in. Once you “break the news”, you are also disrupting the pattern and the tissue of the everyday life – let the information sink in and the shock subside (in an extreme case). Let people feel whatever they feel like feeling (tautology intended) about the upcoming change, without unnecessarily filtering, auditing and trying to somehow auto-censor it.
• There will be plenty of opportunities to talk about the bright side and silver linings down the road. But for you to be able to do that, you first must meet the team where they are, bear with them there and then take them from there.
• Give it space. Provide an adequate opportunity for the discussion and for dissatisfaction – this might be tricky and walking a thin line between a healthy digestion of the new information and a slow mutation into a “moan and groan society”.
• Play the Devil’s Advocate. Be prepared for valid arguments against the change and what the remediation plan might look like. If necessary, think of the room for negotiation that you would be offering and of the potential concessions you might want to allow for (or not – but be prepared for this discussion as well).The more you invest in the argumentation line and more mitigation items you include in your action plan, the more likely it is that the audience will trust you and will be willing to follow you. This also sends a clear message – you have thoroughly thought of all the implications, you are just ironing out the last details and this machine is ready for take-off.