Change is all about people. People make change successful or people are at the heart of its failure. This is true for all types of change. Unfortunately it's the people component that's usually overlooked or underestimated. To drive this home, let's look at some examples.
An Individual Lifestyle Change (i.e. Dieting)
You've been thinking about your fitness and have decided to change your eating habits. You have a plan, and you're ready to go. Clearly you're on board with this change, but what about others? Is your family ready to support you, or do they eat junk food around you all the time? Do your friends invite you out for healthy meals or want to go to the bar for drinks and snacks? Does your work environment and your boss provide you time and access for healthy eating? Yes, you could do this on your own, but a supportive team can be crucial for success.
A Business Process and Technology Revamp
A broadly used technology platform requires redesign to improve stability and backend processing. Are the internal stakeholders onboard with the change? Are they willing to participate in analysis, testing, training and roll-out? Are the technologist or process engineers skilled, engaged and ready for the task? Do these various people work well together? What are the impacts to the end users and will they accept the changes? Knowing how each group will approach and adapt to the change will make or break your project. If you're unsure, ask.
A Successful House Move
Your family is getting ready to leave one home and move into another. Even though it's logistically challenging this change seems pretty straight forward. However, it still all comes down to people. Is the family emotionally prepared to leave one home and move into another? Are the movers lined up and ready to make your move day go smoothly? Are you mentally prepared to deal a new home, where you don't yet understand how everything works? Is your dog ready for the change in environment? Each and everyone of these players is important to your success.
Ultimately, it's about each individual's ability to participate in and process the change. First and foremost, know your people. Even individual change impacts more than the individual. Spend time thinking through the support you need and those with downstream impacts. If you need to map it out to make sure you have everyone covered. Second, take the time to bring them onboard. This could be as easy as a conversation or may require ongoing communications. Have a plan. Getting everyone moving in the same direction is the foundation of good and lasting change.