Instead of "know, feel, do," try this

​Hey Reader,​

Whenever I’m reading, watching, or listening to something about change management, and change communication in particular, the same framework inevitably pops up: Know, Feel, Do. As in:

• What do you want people to know, think, or understand?
• How do you want people to feel or respond?
• What specific actions do you want people to take?

But I’ve always had a problem with this. Why? Because it centers the person leading or communicating the change, rather than the stakeholder.

To me, know, feel, do has an almost coercive vibe, as in This is what I want stakeholders to know, feel, and do and my brilliant plan or my convincing message is how I am going to make them know, feel, and do it. Bwahahahaha.

But you can’t actually make someone know something. You can’t ensure that someone feels a certain way (which is one reason I don't like the early focus on Desire Prosci’s ADKAR model). And you can’t make someone do something. Gasp! This, from the change management lady!?

Yup.

Successful change requires individual behavioral change and organizational systems change, and in order to get people to change, you have to be able to articulate how they must change in order to achieve a desired outcome.

But rather than focusing on what a leader wants others to know, feel, and do in order to reach that desired outcome, I challenge those leading change to consider an alternative framework: What can the leader do to enlighten, empower, and enable stakeholders to move in the direction of that outcome? Let’s hit up Webster’s 1913 for some good definitions.

Enlighten:

1. To supply with light; to illuminate; as, the sun enlightens the earth.
2. To make clear to the intellect or conscience; to shed the light of truth and knowledge upon; to furnish with increase of knowledge; to instruct; as, to enlighten the mind or understanding.

Instead of a town crier, shouting ever louder and more frequently about what you want people to know, why not play the role of lamplighter? Supply the illumination, shed the light of truth, shine like the sun.

Empower:

1. To give authority to; to delegate power to; to commission; to authorize.

2. To give moral or physical power, faculties, or abilities to.

Rather than attempting to control or even influence how someone else feels, what if leaders gave instead? Give away their authority and their power to others, and observe how it makes stakeholders feel. Unlock the door, tear down the fence, and see what effect that has on feelings.

Enable:

1. To give strength or ability to; to make firm and strong.

2. To make able (to do, or to be, something); to confer sufficient power upon; to furnish with means, opportunities, and the like; to render competent for; to empower; to endow.

When stakeholders are enlightened and empowered, what else can the leader do? How can the leader furnish others with means, opportunities, and the like? How can they raise people up, lower barriers, and give others strength? How can leaders hack away the thorny brambles so that their stakeholders can continue down the path?

The enlighten, empower, enable framework is one I talk about a lot, especially when it comes to managers, one of our most important stakeholder groups

I’m actually recording an episode of Marissa Badgley’s ChatGMB: Wisdom & Insights for Modern Leaders podcast today, talking about all things change management, including the major missteps I see organizations, leaders, and managers make when it comes to enabling and moving through change – I’ll share when it’s live!

Enlighten, empower, enable is definitely a mindset shift for folks who are used to more of a command, control, convince method of change management, but it's a mindset shift that has to happen, especially if leaders want to develop long-term change capabilities at their orgs.

Does this framework make sense? Are there any gaps or barriers you'd face as a leader trying to make this shift? Reply here and let me know.

Talk soon,

Caitlin

Caitlin Harper
​Founder & Principal Strategist, Commcoterie

P.S. – Any fun plans this summer? Any way I can help? I'm as passionate about change management as I am about traveling with kiddos under age four, and I've got great recs :)

From Commcoterie's Coterie: Awesome Folks in My Network and How They Make an Impact

coterie: co`te*rie" (k?`te-r?"), n. A set or circle of persons who meet familiarly, as for social, literary, or other purposes; a clique

Kate Burgener's Blueprint for an Annual Report That Inspires Action I read a lot of annual reports. A LOT. I help leaders decide what should go into them, and I help design stakeholder communication strategies to ensure that organizations get the highest ROI they can from putting something like an annual report together in the first place. Essentially, I like annual reports that inspire ACTION. Which is why I love Kate's blueprint. It takes you through the whole process from start to finish, giving you a simple, structured way to plan your report from the ground up. Kate is a design partner for nonprofits, specializing in long-form collateral that looks as strong as the work it represents and lets nonprofit leaders and their teams focus on their missions (instead of messing around with document margins). If you want an annual report that’s organized, thoughtful, and grounded in your mission and goals (without the process being needlessly chaotic), this blueprint is your first step.

Change management for organizations on a mission to build a better world

STRATEGY I help leaders define problems, challenges, and ideas so that together we can develop strategies that help them achieve their visions and build strategic thinking into their day-to-day operations.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT I anticipate barriers to change, develop human-centered approaches that support behavioral shifts, and align teams around a common purpose so that they can take agentic action to support organizational goals.

STAKEHOLDER COMMS I develop clear and compelling communication for all stakeholders throughout initiatives of any size and scale, guiding individuals from the spark of a leader’s idea to the organization’s future state.

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