How to get someone to do something when they don’t want to do it

​Hey Reader,​

Recently, I was chatting with a leader who was trying to get her team to do something new that they did not want to do.

She had announced it, hyped it up, “rolled it out,” reinforced the hype, and yet…nothing had really happened. Well, nothing good.

“What else can I do?” she asked. “They have to do it. That’s the next step, really. They don’t really have a choice.”

She wanted them to suck it up and just do. the. thing. And she seemed ready to be the enforcer! But even if her shift in tactics did in fact get them to do “it,” would it be done well?

Leaders ask me all the time how they can get their teams to do something (and do it well) even when folks just don’t want to do it

Attempting to convince stakeholders of the benefits of the thing you want them to do can work, but relying on hype to lead change is not a strong strategy.

Some people shift into gear the first (or second, or third) time they are asked or told to. But most people don’t. So you try to convince them again. And again and again.

And when there is still no shift from the status quo to the future state you want to see, you swing to the opposite end of the spectrum with mandates, enforcement, policies, and punitive measures.

But instead of this black-and-white binary, what about the gray area in between?

Instead of how can I get them to do what I want them to do? what about what’s going on here that’s making them not do it?

You can’t solve a problem that you can’t define

Change practitioners talk about change resistance all the time – and how to reduce it. But instead of focusing on reducing resistance to change, I like to peel back the layers of the onion to find the core cause(s) of the resistance.

Because often, if folks don’t respond to your enthusiastic announcement or resist the change you’re trying to roll out, the next best step is not to try to find a new way to convince them, but to address (or at least acknowledge) the reason for their resistance.

When you know the reason, you’ve uncovered a problem you can try to solve.

The old adage “a problem well-stated is a problem half-solved” (said by Kettering or Dewey or Einstein…) is true

So many leaders spin their wheels coming up with solutions to problems they haven’t actually defined. An awareness campaign when the problem is a lack of trust. A listening tour when the problem is a lack of time. A new hire when the problem is that the new initiative doesn’t seem aligned with the organization’s goals.

So the next time your brain jumps to a new tactic to get people to do what you want them to do, pause and consider: do I really understand what is going on here? The answer is most likely no.

It’s not because you’re a bad leader. It’s because designing successful strategies requires asking the right questions, understanding how change journeys truly work, and devising ways to push and pull in the right places at the right times to get teams to the future state.

So if you’re struggling to get your teams to do something that you want them to do, do you know what’s going on that’s making them not do it?

Happy change-making,

Caitlin

Caitlin Harper
​Founder, Commcoterie

P.S. – Leaders: I’d love to hear what problems you’re tackling and what you think your best next steps are. If you want to grab 30 minutes to put our heads together, just reply here and let me know.

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