Do you ever get that feeling that you’re trying to push new initiatives forward and the team just isn’t on board yet? Or do you sometimes feel like there is so much change happening, you’re not sure what you should focus on, so you just continue doing what you’re familiar with?
In the book, Managing Transitions by William Bridges, PhD, Bridges provides solid
research-based, practical advice on managing transition and navigating the waters of association change management. He writes about the 4 Ps—practical steps to ensuring everyone is in alignment to move forward. For each of these steps, it’s important for leaders to make sure they are communicated clearly and for team members, to speak up and ask questions if they are feeling lost. 
- Purpose behind the outcome: People need to understand the underlying reason behind change management/transition.
- Picture: Paint a picture of how the outcome will look and feel. There needs to be a vision of what the new future will look like.
- Plan: Lay out a step-by-step plan giving people a clear idea of where to go. Understanding how the team will get there is important for people to support and execute the transition.
- Part to play: People need a tangible way to contribute and participate. Individuals need to understand what their role will be in the transition and in the new normal.
It’s important for leaders to remember that they tend to be farther on the acceptance of the new because they’ve been discussing and planning for much longer than the team has to adjust. Take time to explain the 4 Ps clearly and then expect to reinforce the messages multiple times in order to get the team fully on board and rowing the same direction. This will help you hit your goal sooner and keep everyone in the same boat!
Guiding a team through change has as much to do with the team as it does with what’s changing. Find out how you can prepare a team for change through a personality assessment.
