The Top Barriers That Prevent Leaders To Be Future of Work Ready

A survey by Deloitte confirms the barriers to change that I have researched with my clients and also the research I conducted for my book The Art of Change Leadership – Driving Transformation In a Fast Paced World.

The top barriers are outlined in the image above:

The number one barrier is resistance from managers/leaders – in previous posts I have shared my change cycle graphic and resistance is a natural ‘first’ response to change and we need to have empathy for this response AND unless managers/leaders are provided with training to see that they have choice to ‘lead change’ and spend more time in creativity, solutions and future which then helps to move change forward.

The solution to this barrier is ‘change leadership training’.

The number two barrier is lack of funding and is related to the need for resources, upgraded technology or resources for training if funds or budgets do not allow for the funds to make the changes it increases the time spent in the ‘resistance’ phase of change.

The solution to this barrier is to establish a ‘change leader budget’ specific to implementing the changes needed.

The number three barrier is resistance from staff and right below that resistance from senior leaders. Why?

People forget that change is not a challenge solved with technology – change is all about people. Its all about the psychological response to change, its all about the need to ‘meet people where they are’ and to help him or her see the value of the changes as them impact each individual. The acronym WIFM (whats in it for me) is absolutely whats in play with resistance to change.

The solution to this barrier is to have ‘change influencers’ within the company who are meeting with individuals one on one to go over the change cycle, to talk through the resistance, to brainstorm creative solutions and to provide compelling reasons as to why ‘everyone’ needs to be on board to make the changes.

The most compelling WIFM’s to address are – the company remains profitable and competitive, the person who willingly moves with change increases his or her market value as being a change leader, finally that being creative with change has way more energy and is way more fun than consistently ‘pushing back’ or resisting what really is inevitable change.