Business Owners Toolbox Blog Discussions and articles to help the small business owner solve the challenges they face as they grow their business.

What are the WORST ways to introduce change to your employees? Yeah, I’l be glad to tell you the BEST ways, but first see if you’ve used any of these approaches:

• Surprise your people by springing it on them.
  

  How well are changes accepted?

• Issue a fiat: “Starting Monday, everyone must . . .”
• Introduce change on a whim: “Hey, I had a good idea; why don’t we…”
• Assume you know best and ignore people’s questions and concerns.
• Seek the input of your people and then ignore it.
• Say one thing, do another.
• Keep everyone guessing.
• Let negative rumors spread because you haven’t said enough–or anything.
• Play down the burdens and hassles involved.
• Start the project and then abandon it.
• Make the change seem like punishment or extra work.
• Wait until the change is forced upon you, then do it in crisis mode.

So this is what you want to avoid. What’s the best way to introduce change? That’s the next post.