Five things you’ll hear during a business transformation and how to respond

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Moving from “I can’t and I won’t” to “I can and I will”.

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Why should you spend 5 minutes reading this blog?

• You’ll find out how to replace employee resistance with buy-in and productivity. 
• It includes clear, concise advice on how to respond to common concerns. 
• It’s written by someone who has extensive experience in business transformations across Australia and EMEA. 

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When you kick off a business transformation, you’ll inevitably be met with some resistance from your people. You’re effectively asking them to work a lot smarter and they might find the prospect of increased responsibility to be daunting. While I’ve talked in previous blogs about the importance of incentivisation, you also need to know how to engage with employees with empathy and understanding. 

Here’s how to respond when you hear the following (all too familiar) statements. 

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“I don’t have time.”

The way people spend their time is a derivative of their priorities. Saying “I don’t have time” is just another way of saying “It’s not a priority”. It’s often a call for help and you need to respond with a mix of empathy and pragmatism. 

How to respond: Ask for an overview of their current workload then support them to prioritise the tasks that are most relevant to your transformation – What can wait? What can’t? I always recommend having an organisational method for prioritising tasks as this can be referred to during your discussion.

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“I don’t know how.” 

Skills development is a huge part of creating a high performance culture during a business transformation. If your people need to upskill make sure there are pathways in place including professional development courses and mentorship. 

How to respond: Work with the team member to identify the specific gaps in their skillset, then co-create a plan to address them. If they need a mentor or sponsor, assign one. If they need to complete a course, give them the go ahead (budget permitting). Follow this up with regular check-ins to see how their development plan is progressing. 

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“I don’t have the power.”

When someone is asked to take on more leadership responsibilities they might encounter a few roadblocks. For example, they might not have the delegation of authority to sign off on things, or their peers might not realise they’ve assumed a more influential position. 

How to respond: Ask what they need to execute the assigned tasks. Commit to giving them the necessary power and let them know that you believe wholeheartedly in their ability to deliver. Follow this up by ensuring the whole team is aware of the person’s increased authority via your usual communication channels. 

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“I don’t have the resources”.

It’s not unusual for employees to feel like they’re being asked to do the job of two or more people during a transformation. When someone feels like they’re being pulled in a million directions their focus, efficiency and productivity suffers. It can also have a detrimental impact on their mental health and overall wellbeing so you need to listen and take action. 

How to respond: Ask them what they need in terms of resources. Assure them that you’ll do what you can to address resource constraints and make sure you follow-up with action. Look at whether you can free someone up to help, source funds to recruit, or talk to other areas of the business about secondment opportunities. 

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“That’s not my job”.

This response can tie into what we’ve covered above – people not having the time, skills, power or resources to meet the expectations you’ve set. It could also be that the person doesn’t believe that what you’re asking is part of their position description. In that case, you need to inspire them to get involved by sharing the transformation purpose and vision. 

How to respond: Ask them to share how they see their role fitting into the transformation as a whole. Outline the purpose and vision behind the transformation and encourage them to view their role in a more holistic way – not just as a job but as a pathway to personal and professional growth. 

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You might have seen a bit of a pattern emerging in the responses above – ask, listen, share, take action, follow up. This approach is all about connecting with your people on a deeper level and tapping into their intrinsic motivation. Remember, people have an innate desire to do meaningful work, how you respond to their concerns makes all the difference.