In this episode, Curtis Bateman shares insights from his co-authored book Change: How to Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity. The episode explores the most common reactions to change — Move, Minimize, Wait, Resist, and Quit — and the leader’s role in understanding and managing these reactions as they navigate the complexities of organizational change. Curtis also emphasizes the significance of building a case for change and the importance of fostering empathy and trust. This timely discussion provides valuable takeaways for leaders facing challenges in a constantly evolving workplace.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Curtis Bateman, FranklinCovey’s Vice President of International Direct Offices, has over twenty-five years of experience in the training industry. Internationally recognized as a presenter, content developer, change consultant, business leader, and coach, Curtis is dedicated to enabling organizations through transformative solutions.
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A TIMELY PARABLE
Curtis Bateman’s recent book, Change: How to Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity, details an eye-opening parable entitled “Who Rocked the Boat.” It narrates the tale of a ship, its crew, and its captain with a mission to transport goods to a familiar destination. However, in an attempt to expedite the journey, they find themselves navigating an unfamiliar river.
As they sail onward, the distant roar of a waterfall reaches their ears. The story unfolds as the ship plummets over the waterfall, causing catastrophic damage. The captain and crew must determine the best course of action and then navigate out from the ravine where the ship has crashed.
The parable introduces five characters: Move, Minimize, Wait, Resist, and Quit, all alongside the captain who represents the business leader during a time of change. Each character represents varied reactions to this change, and the parable symbolically explores how a leader can engage with these responses to foster a successful experience with change. According to guest Curtis Bateman, this parable emphasizes that diverse reactions to change are normal and the importance of finding ways to move forward collectively.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Move, Minimize, Wait, Resist, Quit
“There’s probably a hundred different kinds of reactions, but the reason I went with these is that they illustrate a spectrum of enthusiasm to resistance, and they do commonly show up. They’re human reactions. So as we think about that, individuals are going to exhibit these reactions, but leaders are individuals also. And that puts them in a funny position because they might be experiencing that reaction while trying to also be in their role as a leader, so there’s a little bit of tension between the two.”
It’s All About Context
“Now, in this context, I might be reacting this way, and the reaction isn’t right or wrong. What’s important is, as you asked, what are the strengths and what are the limitations of it? So, for example, let’s take ‘move.’ ‘Move’ might be quite energized by a change that gets announced, and that’s positive, right? You get energy, you get engagement, you get somebody that really wants to go with you. But often, ‘move’ will race ahead of the change without the information. And then they’re wondering, ‘Where is everybody? And why am I on the wrong page?’ And so ‘move’s’ strengths are the engagement and the activity. ‘Move’s’ weaknesses are, ‘I might get ahead of myself.’ And so leaders can recognize that or individuals can and help manage that, and then you marry the strength with the benefit.”
The Good in Quitting
“‘Quits’ is an individual who says, ‘I see this change, and I’m out of here.’ They actually opt out. They leave. So what’s the benefit? Well, the benefit is they realize the change isn’t for them, so they’re not trying to do something that doesn’t work for them. […]
And this is the other side of the coin for ‘quits.’ They’re actually introducing a significant different change for themselves. […] They feel good about it because they chose it rather than the change being chosen for them.”
Why Wait?
Communicating the “Why”
“I have seen so many organizational changes introduced, and a large percentage of them fizzle out, so from an energy, from a focus, from a produce-results point of view, they might be saying, ‘I’m just going to give it a moment to make sure this is one where I really should invest.’ And I don’t think that’s an unreasonable position as long as they’re aware of that, and they’re being intentional about it. And as long as they’re in communication with their leader.”
“What makes it hard for leaders is they’ve been working on this in the boardroom for six months, and so they’ve already been going through this mental paradigm shift around the change. And it’s funny because they then appear and go, ‘Tada, we’re going to make this change.’ And the whole organization’s going, ‘What?’ And leaders lose track of, ‘Well, why aren’t you with us?’ ‘Well, because we haven’t been in those meetings for six months,’ and that activates the need for two of the five leadership skills I talked about: […] vision, communication, alignment, engagement, and accountability.”
Building the Case for Change
“We’re asking the organization to move from and to move towards and then inviting the next level of leaders to take that story, what I call a case for change — What’s changing? Why is it changing? How did we get here? And what are we moving from and to? — And as leaders prepare that story and share that story, and then allow the next level of leaders to adopt that for their departments or their teams. […] And if leaders will build the case for change and then allow for feedback to say, ‘Well, what about this or this wasn’t clear?’ then we get the story and the behaviors that we want to move from and to, to start to develop and emerge throughout the organization. And they’re aligned, with why, and that takes a lot of work. […] I’ve had leaders say, ‘Well, can’t we skip that?’ No. Only if you want to do it without people.”
Fostering Empathy and Trust
“The first part of the book talks about the zone of disruption. What are we seeing people feeling, thinking, and doing? And as we use all of those clues, then as a leader, we can say, ‘Ah, this person is here and needs this.’ And we see the ship’s captain do that in the story. We don’t call it out, but if we look, the ship’s captain has different discussions with different people about where they are. And so that’s where the role of the leader is highlighted as the fulcrum of change.”
LEARN MORE
Are you a leader seeking insight into navigating change? Pick up a copy of Curtis Bateman’s co-authored book, Change: How to Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity, or check out some free leadership resources at franklincovey.com.