You're facing pushback from your team on social impact changes. How will you navigate their resistance?

👉 Overcoming resistance within a team is akin to navigating a ship through stormy seas. 📍 As a leader, it's crucial to steer with empathy, understanding the currents of concern that may run beneath the surface. 👥Open dialogue acts as the compass that guides you to these underlying issues, whether it's a fear of change or a lack of clarity on the benefits of new initiatives. · Addressing these concerns isn't just about clearing the path; it's about inviting your team to sail alongside you, transforming doubt into a shared vision for change. · With patience and transparent communication, resistance can evolve into a collective drive towards innovation and growth.

o navigate pushback effectively, delve into the underlying reasons behind your team's resistance. Are they concerned about increased workload, unclear benefits, or a misalignment with personal values? In my previous role, we conducted anonymous surveys to gather honest feedback, which revealed concerns that weren't initially apparent. Challenge: While understanding resistance is crucial, avoid getting stuck in analysis. Action on the feedback is necessary to build trust and show commitment to addressing concerns.

The key to effective storytelling is helping your audience see how what you are proposing aligns with what they already want. What’s in it for them? Their resistance might not be for the reasons you assume. So find out why. Ask them. Illustrate how this impact initiative is an authentic outgrowth of your organization’s core values. If it isn’t, maybe it should. Be honest with yourself. Is this impact project mission-aligned or just sprinkles on top for show? People usually have a pretty adept BS meter. How are you personally inspired by this impact vision? Why does it matter to you? Your team may not have a direct connection, but they can through you or others in the org. Relay that reason in stories.

Para navegar la resistencia de mi equipo hacia los cambios de impacto social, comenzaré por involucrarlos en cada etapa del proceso. Organizaré reuniones abiertas para discutir las razones y beneficios de los cambios propuestos, permitiendo que todos expresen sus preocupaciones y sugerencias. Además, crearé grupos de trabajo multidisciplinarios donde cada miembro pueda contribuir activamente y sentir que sus opiniones son valoradas. En mi experiencia personal, cuando trabajé en la Comunidad de Mujeres Líderes Latinoamericana, involucrar a todos los miembros en la toma de decisiones no solo aumentó la aceptación de las nuevas iniciativas, sino que también fortaleció la cohesión del equipo.

Para mitigar la resistencia, es crucial impartir formación adecuada sobre los cambios de impacto social. Organizaré talleres y sesiones de capacitación que destaquen no solo la importancia de estos cambios, sino también las habilidades necesarias para implementarlos eficazmente. La formación incluirá estudios de caso, ejemplos prácticos y testimonios de expertos. Basándome en mi experiencia con PMI, he visto cómo la capacitación continua y bien estructurada puede transformar la percepción del equipo, llevándolos a aceptar y apoyar las nuevas iniciativas con entusiasmo y confianza.

Equip your team with the necessary skills and knowledge through targeted training sessions. Invite external experts for workshops or provide access to online courses that cover relevant social impact topics. Make training interactive and practical, incorporating real-world case studies. Challenge: Training alone isn't sufficient. Follow up with mentoring and support to help team members apply new skills effectively.

Recognize and celebrate small wins to maintain enthusiasm and momentum. Use internal newsletters, social media, and team meetings to highlight achievements and share positive stories. Introduce recognition programs that reward contributions to social impact goals. Challenge: Ensure celebrations are meaningful. Superficial or forced recognition can feel inauthentic and may demotivate rather than inspire.

Be open to revising your approach based on feedback and evolving circumstances. Implement a feedback loop where team members can continuously share their thoughts and suggestions. In my previous role as [role title] in [country], we adopted an iterative approach, regularly tweaking our strategies to better align with team feedback and market conditions. Pro tip: Adjustments should be balanced with stability. Frequent changes can create confusion and uncertainty, so ensure that any modifications are well-communicated and justified.

We don't respect resistance very much, especially in professionalized settings. We often think "how can I overcome this resistance asap?" instead of "what might this resistance teach me?" Resistance to change is often hard-earned: folks have likely not had many (if any) positive experiences with change, especially in social impact work. There can be benefits to the resistance! These folks will be able to see the holes in a plan, ultimately strengthening the organization’s data work in the long run - as long as there's space and trust for y'all to work together before change plans are solidified, which I know can be easier said than done. Not all resistance is wrong, bad, or obstinate - in some cases, your staff know better than you do!

We all know that species that last are those that have had the most adaptive behaviour to change. Homo sapiens, you, me, we aren't any different. Nevertheless, we usually resist change. This happens not only at work, but in every aspect in our life. Even when we do change and live a better life after having changed, we have the belief that this time we reached a position that will not require any further changes. And thus we start to resist the next wave of change. This is no different for social impact initiatives only stronger, because changes take much longer to make a real impact. There's only one path to overcome resistance: leadership and engagement. Not top down orders, but true leadership and bottoms up engagement.

Consider leveraging informal settings to discuss resistance and gather candid feedback. Casual conversations over coffee or during team-building activities can reveal insights that formal meetings might miss. Additionally, providing platforms for anonymous feedback can encourage more open and honest input. Pro tip: Informal settings should complement, not replace, formal mechanisms. Ensure that all feedback, regardless of the setting, is systematically reviewed and addressed to maintain consistency and accountability.