3 Ways Leaders of Change Are Different Than Adapters to Change

The lens with which you view change determines if you are a leader of change or an adapter to change.

I recently worked with a group of educators and change is part of their lexicon – many are on the leading edge of change. Prior to that I was working with a group of CEO’s in a variety of industries such as hospitality, restaurant, non profit, technology, manufacturing, insurance and more. As a researcher I have researched many of the psychological factors as it relates to change and it is always quite easy to discern between those leaders who are leaders of change and those who are reluctant adapters to change.

If you look at the change chart that I created above you will see that on the right hand side the responses to change are fear, skepticism, and defense. Adapters to change spend more time on this part of the change cycle because their viewpoints are focused through the lens of fear. In response to change even inevitable change -adapters to change often view what is happening as a threat. When change is perceived as a threat the behavior is resistant, defiant and argumentative. Often he or she who feels threatened will work to slow down the changes or to side track the changes.

The goal is to help adapters move to the left side of the change cycle by helping them see the progress of the proposed changes or upcoming inevitable changes. We can do this by asking questions that shift the ‘lens’ with which change is being viewed.

Leaders of change see that progressive change is a natural part of the evolution of business and life and although he or she may feel fearful or anxious or defensive they shift their energy towards creative solutions, collaboration and focused on the future.

There are 3 ways that leaders of change are different than adapters to change:

1. Leaders of change work consistently to stay ‘open minded’ to what is happening in the world as it relates to technology, social media, generational mindsets and even pop culture.

Whereas an adapter to change resists technological innovation and any change initiatives that involve he or she having to learn and grow or shift. They want to protect the status quo even if the status quo is obviously not to the benefit of the organization or the group as a whole.

2. Leaders of change embrace the attitudes of the adapters to change and work to help them ‘on board’ with the change ideas and direction. Leaders of change are not threatened by others lack of willingness to go along or to their defensiveness to the changes being proposed. Rather leaders of change see it as part of their role to provide reason, rationale and to ask questions to those who resist that help to clarify and increase buy in to the change.

An adapter to change sees the leaders of change as enemies, as people who are trying to destroy their hard earned position, title or tenure. An adapter to change pushes back against signs of progressive change as they view it as ‘plans to thwart’.

3. Leaders of change recognize that as changes continue for the business there are opportunities to help others adapt by providing coaching, support , growth opportunities and more. They provide a chance for everyone to ‘get on board the change train’ and they also recognize that there are some who just will not be able to adapt or come on board due to their attachment to how things have been done in the past.

Adapters to change show resistance through gossip, negative information and working to convince others why the change initiatives won’t work. Often an adapter to change can become a leader of change and even a high level influencer to the change by being provided the information they seek, answers to their questions and reassurance that their fear and defensiveness is part of the change response.

Change for change sake is not being a leader of change, change that is driven by realities of the market, adapting to customer reality and employee attitude reality is change that is valid and that we all need to commit to being ‘leaders of change’.