Years ago, I moved house with a cat. If you’ve never moved house with a cat, think of it as your first lesson in humility.
Conventional wisdom says lock the cat inside for a few days. Let it sniff the curtains, sulk behind the sofa, recalibrate its feline radar. Eventually, curiosity wins out, and the cat wants to roam its new kingdom.
I bought a cat harness, the fancy kind with an extra loop around the belly. That alone should’ve been a clue. Dogs wear collars; cats wear straitjackets.
So there I am, bright morning, standing at my new front door like some proud change champion. Cat on a leash. Brave new world outside.
“Kitty, it’s new! It’s better! You’re going to love it!”
Spoiler: she didn’t.
She froze in the doorway, eyes darting back inside, tail flicking like a metronome of suspicion. I gave the lead a gentle tug. She resisted. Another tug. She sat. I pulled again in slo-mo, like we were acting out a hostage scene in a crime show. She flopped onto her side, rag-doll limp, and made her point.
This cat was not going anywhere.
So I stopped. Crouched down. Looked away. Waited.
Because somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered: if there are horse whisperers, surely, there must be cat whisperers as well.
Five minutes later, no pep talks, no forced marches, she stood up, glanced at me, and padded forward. Now it was her walk, her route, her agenda. She pulled me down the driveway, across the street, into the neighbour’s front yard. A tiny tiger claiming her territory, with a human in tow.
We did this every day for a week. By then, she knew her patch. Knew her way home. Knew she could trust it.
And so the lessons for me are:
- Even when you think you’re in control, you’re not.
- People, like cats, come on board when they’re ready, not when you are.
- You can’t drag anyone into a new world, no matter how glorious you think it is.
- Give people the perception of choice, and they’ll choose more than you ever could.
- Be a cat whisperer. Stop tugging. Start observing.
Leading change isn’t about yanking people through a door. It’s about crouching down, looking away, and waiting for them to stand up and take you with them.
Because it’s never just about the project management efficiency of rolling out a shiny new system or process. The humans have to want to use it – to own it, roam it, make it theirs.
Be a human whisperer. That’s how change really sticks.
Stay patient. And remember, sometimes the best way to lead is to let them lead you.
===
In closing . . . what’s the real problem with change?
- Too many projects tick off budgets and timelines but forget the people.
- No clear why. No real buy-in. Just polite nods and quiet resistance.
- Change stalls when leaders underestimate how much communication it really takes to get people on board, and keep them there.
A smart Communication Plan makes all the difference. Map out how and when you’ll inform, engage, coach and train people through the 5 Prosci® ADKAR® stages: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement.
Do it well, and your next change won’t just land – it’ll stick.
People don’t just go along for the ride; they lead the walk.
===
Ready to make your next change project stick?
Let’s talk. Our Prosci® certified Change Practitioner helps leaders put people first, to create a Communication Plan that works and makes change succeed. Visit : https://www.brainpowertraining.com.au/change-management-training/
