The Signs of Change

One of the themes I’ve been developing in the Daily Improviser blog involves the ways in which messages can be sent other than by words. As described in the post about the improv exercise Neutral Scene, our words can be either supported or subverted by our vocal inflections and volume, our posture, our gestures, and a host of other vehicles.

The Daily Improviser as Change Leader must stay particularly attuned to this “language beyond words.” For better or worse, in times of great change, a leader’s every move will be closely charted by her people for indications of which way the winds are blowing – and the followers will usually shift accordingly.

As a Change Leader, are you saying the right words about the change – but doing it through gritted teeth? Are you walking just a bit faster through the halls with an air of preoccupation, as if you can’t get through the gauntlet fast enough? Or are you keeping your shoulders square, your stride confident and optimistic (with even a bit of a spring in your step), your gaze direct, and your expression at least calm if not cheerful?

Just as important as the signals you’re sending are the ones you’re picking up from your team. During times of change, people commonly go through a series of phases similar to those experienced during grief and loss – Denial, Anger, Resistance – before they’re able to pull themselves up and Explore, Accept, and Commit to the new way. Nobody wears a sandwich sign that says “I’m in Denial today,” so you need to be attuned to the nonverbal signals that tell you how your people are really feeling.

For example, the Resistance phase and the Exploration phase both typically involve the asking of questions – for example, “Why do we have to do it like that?” However, as the Daily Improviser knows from Neutral Scene, a team member can ask this in a spirit of curiosity, as if he really wants to know the answer – OR he can ask it like this:

“WHY do we have to do it like THAT!!??”

The Daily Improviser as Change Leader should recognize that these two ways of saying the same thing are very different indicators of the speaker’s position on the change cycle. Most people can probably pick up on the Resistance in the second example. Unfortunately, however, many leaders also treat the first example as a sign of Resistance rather than a healthy emergence into the Exploration phase. As a result, they discourage true questions and unintentionally block the team from moving forward to meet the change successfully.
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