It’s a Wonderful Partnership
The importance of human-centered change
“Never treat your audience as customers, only as partners.”
When Jimmy Stewart said that, he was talking about acting in movies.
But he was on to something – even beyond the silver screen.
Most of us know what it’s like to be treated as a customer, especially when it comes to change.
Being told how and when to change is demoralizing and ineffective at best.
You comply with your head and hands – and quietly rebel in your heart.
But when you are invited in as a partner, something shifts.
Instead of a passive change receiver, you become an active change driver.
Suddenly, you feel more connected to the change. You have the energy and inspiration to pursue adoption with commitment.
We all know the difference between being a customer and partner in someone else’s change.
As change leaders, we can shape people’s experience in the projects we sponsor and design.
When we ask people to engage in transformational change, we should do it in a transformational way.
By doing change with people, not to them.
Let’s Partner
Treating people like partners activates them as part of the change and drives the momentum needed to build readiness and achieve adoption.
But doing change to people is easy. We’re all guilty of telling people how and when to change, assuming we understand their needs, and confusing socializing with collaboration.
And doing change with people is hard. Involving your ecosystem early and often, listening to concerns you don’t have time to hear, and constantly adjusting the roadmap as understanding evolves takes considerable effort, empathy, and energy.
But here’s the good news.
You can start doing change with people anytime and anywhere.
Developing your vision? Invite trusted partners to contribute.
Getting ready to communicate the change? Schedule office hours for questions and concerns.
Already on the road to the future state? Conduct focus groups and pulse surveys to gauge understanding, commitment, and what else is needed to cross the finish line to adoption.
You can even treat actual customers as partners. The key is not how you relate to people as functions (manager to employee, company to customer, etc.) It’s about how you connect with each other as humans.
Wherever you are on your journey, you will win more hearts and minds doing change with people.
Take a step back from telling, informing, enforcing.
Lean into listening, inviting, and engaging.
Your change – and your people – will thank you for it.
We are always trying to deepen our own understanding of this idea. When has an organization or business engaged you as a partner? When have you done the same for others? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.