Change is inevitable, yet many individuals and organizations struggle to embrace it fully. In this insightful session, that is part of the Change webinar series, we delve into the various forms of resistance to change and explore practical strategies to overcome them.

Back to unpack change as a process is Dr. Jackalyn Rainosek. She is a renowned master strategist specializing in identifying and rectifying systemic patterns that hinder personal and organizational achievements. She’s the CEO and co-founder of DTP Leadership Group and has experience training and coaching leaders across various sectors including the criminal justice profession.

Specifics of her discussion include:

• How change is a process and the value in fostering continuous growth and improvement rather than getting stuck in one event.
• The four blocks to change discussed in the first part of the webinar series which include expecting management to alleviate all the pain, refusing change, choosing their own pace of change, and failing to abandon the expendable.
• Top reasons to resist change: Battling authority figures, wanting to prove others wrong, overestimating their power, and disregarding the impact of their behavior on others.
• The six additional blocks to change – what they are, what they look like, and strategies to work through them.
  • Playing the victim/martyr mentality which drains the organization, refuses accountability, and capitalizes on self-pity.
  • New game, play by old rules where people may appear to accept change but exhibit behaviors that resist it.
  • Justifying stress as an excuse for not changing and employing techniques to slow down the process.
  • Attempting to control uncontrollable changes through political maneuvering or influence which then delays change and impacts others.
  • Freezing, disappearing, being not available, or projecting busyness in an attempt to slow down the process that may be rooted out of fear.
  • Being afraid of the future or stuck in past regrets which results in worry and an inability to remain in the present and deal with changes accordingly.
• An article outlining how individuals can use their influence for positive change by:
  • Striving for solutions through well-designed plans and addressing systemic issues
  • Employing collaborative approaches that utilize the knowledge and expertise of leaders and team members to become change agents.
• The Look-Envision-Build Model when implementing change which requires…
  • Looking at the situation, limits, and challenges or issues involved.
  • Envisioning and developing a plan that considers the skills and people and roles required to get the job done.
  • Building and doing the groundwork to make the change happen and following it up with progress tracking, evaluations, and a feedback system.
• The importance of leaders understanding and addressing the resistance to change and the followers being willing to contribute to the change using their skills and talents.

Questions from the webinar attendees are about:

• How changes can be too much and too fast.
• Burnout as a block to change.
• Addressing and dealing with office energy vampires.
• When the supervisors are the ones blocking changes suggested by subordinates.

Other Webinars with this Presenter

• May 18: Change is a Process, not an Event (this webinar)
• Aug 3: Overcoming the Barriers to Change

Click here to view and register for other upcoming Leadership webinars on the JCH Platform 

Resources and Handouts

• Handout: Blocks to Change
• Book Referenced: Working Ourselves to Death: The High Cost of Workaholism and the Rewards of Recovery by Diane Fassel

Audience Comments

• “Thank you! I’m struggling with change in my personal life as much as in the workplace, so this will be helpful in many different ways.” — Andrea
• “Enjoyed the victim attitude info.” — Caroline
• “Very valuable information about how to deal with toxic people. A good refresher about the importance of dealing with difficult people. Thank you.” — Kim
• “In life, we have to go any which way the wind blows. Chang is going to happen. It is how we respond to it.” — Ronald
• “Great tips provided.” — Rosa