Change fans help convert your change detractors

When making a big change, the fans on the team are your greatest allies. When you first introduce a change, three groups emerge: 10 percent love the change, 10 percent instantly hate it, and 80 percent just aren't sure yet. Your focus should be on the 80 percent, but you can use the groups at the top and bottom to further your course. The fans of the change at the top can be powerful advocates; identify them promptly and enlist them to help win support for the change. Get them to speak to the undecided 80 percent. A genuine voice from within the team is far more convincing than the repeated voice of management. Their perspective and authenticity shine through. And if you can identify a few winnable detractors, pair them with a fan. Perhaps they can be moved. Maybe the passion of the fan can win them over. If you can convince even one detractor, the effort will pay huge dividends. No one is more genuine than a recent convert. Use them to help sway the important 80 percent. Success at change requires enlisting as many people as possible to your course. The fans at the top are your biggest allies and most powerful advocates.