Before You Redesign Your Brand or Roll Out a Change Plan, Read This
Successful change relies on clarity, timing, and leadership. Learn how to communicate effectively and avoid common pitfalls in your change initiatives.
When changes fail, it’s often due to confusion, not resistance. If your team doesn’t understand what’s changing or why, even the best plans can fall apart. Here’s how to avoid failure:
- Clarity is key: Clearly explain what’s changing, who benefits, and how success will be measured.
- Find the root problem: Don’t confuse internal issues (like missed deadlines) with branding problems.
- Check timing: Ensure your organisation, stakeholders, and market are ready for the change.
- Tell a clear story: Highlight what’s at stake, balance honesty with optimism, and keep it simple.
- Test before launch: Get feedback from key stakeholders to refine your message and ensure it’s understood.
- Provide stability: Clarify what won’t change to reassure your team during transitions.
Focus on communication, timing, and leadership to drive successful changes. Start by asking: Who benefits, and how will we measure success? If you can’t answer, it’s time to pause and reassess.
Change Management - Communicating the Why of Change
1. Find the Core Issue
Before jumping into action, it's essential to identify what's really causing the problem. Quick fixes often mask deeper, unresolved issues.
Brand vs Culture Problems
Many organisations mistakenly address cultural challenges as if they were brand issues. For instance, if deadlines are regularly missed or customer complaints are piling up, the first reaction might be to rebrand or restructure. However, these are often signs of internal operational or cultural problems, not branding failures.
Take falling customer satisfaction scores as an example. This might not be about how your brand is perceived but could instead reflect inefficient processes that frustrate both employees and customers. Understanding this difference can save time and money by avoiding superficial changes that don't address the real problem.
Once you've identified the root issue, it's time to evaluate whether it's the right moment to take action.
Test the Timing
After diagnosing the core problem, timing becomes a key factor. Here are three areas to consider:
- Business Readiness: Does the organisation have the resources and capacity to address the issue effectively?
- Stakeholder Impact: Talk to key stakeholders to understand their frustrations and what improvements they want to see.
- Market Conditions: Take a close look at external factors like:
- The current economic environment
- Industry trends
- Competitor behaviour
- Whether customers are ready for change
Timing isn't just about when it's convenient for leadership. It needs to align with when the organisation and its stakeholders are prepared to embrace change. If you can't clearly identify who benefits and how success will be measured, it may be worth pausing to reassess.
2. Build Your Change Story
Once you've determined the timing, the next step is creating a narrative that inspires commitment.
Highlight What’s at Stake
Your story should clearly explain why staying on the current path isn’t an option. Identify who benefits from the change - whether it’s customers, employees, or the wider community - and show how their lives will be impacted.
Stories that emphasise human experiences resonate more deeply than those focused on financial figures. While numbers have their place, they rarely create the emotional connection needed to drive lasting change.
Combine Honesty with Optimism
Be upfront about the challenges you’re facing, but also provide a clear vision of what lies ahead. Striking this balance helps build trust and credibility.
For example, a pharmaceutical company once shared Joey’s story - a ten-year-old whose delayed access to a new drug had life-changing consequences. Kathy Liu summed it up perfectly: a few months can make all the difference.
Once you’ve acknowledged the hurdles and outlined the hope, keep the story straightforward so it’s easy for others to share.
Keep It Simple and Shareable
Your story should be easy to understand and retell. Use a structure that focuses on these essential elements:
| Element | Focus Questions |
|---|---|
| Today's Reality | What frustrations or problems are people dealing with now? |
| Future Vision | How will their lives or work improve after the change? |
| Success Markers | What clear signs will show the change is taking effect? |
| Immediate Steps | What actions can people take right away? |
A great change story isn’t just about the end goal - it’s about the journey. People need to see themselves in both the challenges and the solutions. When the narrative is clear and relatable, it reinforces the understanding and focus needed to make change happen.
3. Test Before Launch
Before rolling out your change story, it's essential to test it. Getting internal alignment first helps establish trust and credibility externally.
Review Your Message
Your change narrative needs to be put through its paces with key stakeholders before going public. The goal isn’t to get everyone on board but to identify weak spots and refine the message.
Here are some key areas to focus on during this process:
| Testing Focus | Key Questions |
|---|---|
| Benefit Clarity | Who benefits from this change, and in what specific ways? |
| Timeline Reality | Are the proposed deadlines realistic and achievable? |
| Resource Needs | What kind of support will people require to make the transition smoothly? |
| Impact Assessment | How will this change affect daily operations across the organisation? |
After refining the message, ensure everyone involved has a clear understanding of the change and its implications.
Prioritise Understanding
Getting everyone to agree may not be possible, but clarity is non-negotiable. Focus on ensuring people understand:
- What’s changing
- Why it’s important
- How it impacts different teams
- What success looks like
"Who stands to benefit from this change? Surely, it's good for someone or something your audience cares about, or it wouldn't be a priority for the company."
– Paul Smith, Storytelling Expert
Engage directly with those most affected by the change. Ask about their current challenges and how the proposed adjustments might help - or create new obstacles. Their feedback can highlight areas for improvement and make your plan stronger and more effective.
4. Follow a Clear Message Plan
Once you've established a clear narrative, the next step is to lay out a structured plan. This plan ensures your message resonates and inspires action.
Define the Changes
Focus on how the changes will directly affect people, rather than just presenting numbers or metrics. Highlight how the changes will address existing challenges or open up new possibilities for your teams and customers.
| Change Aspect | Key Points to Address |
|---|---|
| Impact Level | How it affects teams, departments, or the organisation as a whole |
| Timeline | Milestones and phases for implementation |
| Benefits | Specific ways employees and customers will gain |
| Support | Resources available to assist with the transition |
List What Won't Change
Providing clarity on what stays the same can help people feel more secure during times of transition. Be clear about these constants:
- Core values and mission
- Key relationships and reporting structures
- Critical processes and systems
- Standards for quality and commitments
This approach provides a stable foundation, helping teams stay grounded as they adapt to the new changes. Once this is clear, outline the steps needed to implement the changes effectively.
Set Clear Next Steps
Transform your change narrative into actionable steps. Break it down so every group knows what’s expected of them:
-
Leadership Actions
Leaders should visibly embrace and model the change. Demonstrate how new behaviours or processes should look in practice. -
Team Responsibilities
Clearly define what each team needs to do, with specific, measurable outcomes. -
Support Systems
Outline the support available, including training programmes and feedback mechanisms.
"A story about the human impact of the change will likely be more compelling than just telling people how much money it'll save." - Paul Smith
Keep track of how well the message is understood through regular follow-ups. A single announcement won’t cut it - reinforce your message and adjust based on feedback.
Conclusion: Leaders Drive Change
Leaders play a critical role in every part of the change process - from pinpointing the root issues to testing and refining the change story. The strategies discussed only come to life when leaders actively take the lead.
Leaders Set the Tone
The success of any change effort hinges on leadership behaviour, not flashy presentations. When leaders embody the changes they want to see, their teams are more likely to follow. It’s about moving from talking points to visible actions that show real commitment.
As research suggests, effective change requires leaders to demonstrate clear, actionable behaviours.
| Leadership Focus | Observable Actions | Expected Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Story Alignment | Share consistent narratives about the organisation’s journey | Builds shared purpose and understanding |
| Benefit Clarity | Highlight tangible improvements for teams and customers | Encourages trust and motivation |
| Progress Tracking | Conduct regular progress reviews | Keeps the momentum and ensures accountability |
These actions form the backbone of the steps required for successful change.
Key Steps to Remember
For change to succeed, leaders must prioritise its impact on people above all else. A strong case for change should focus on how it improves lives - whether for employees, customers, or the wider community.
To maintain trust and drive results, leaders should:
- Turn abstract goals into measurable actions: Break down big ideas into clear, achievable steps.
- Craft a compelling change story: Highlight who benefits and why it’s important.
- Stay engaged: Keep open communication with those impacted by the change.
- Track real outcomes: Focus on results that can be seen and felt, not just ticking off milestones.
FAQs
How can I make sure my team fully understands and supports upcoming changes in our organisation?
To ensure your team understands and supports the changes, start by clearly articulating why the change is happening. People need to see the bigger picture - how the change aligns with the organisation's goals and why it matters.
Next, focus on storytelling. A well-crafted story can connect the logic of the change with the emotional reasons people should care. Explain not just the what but the why, and make it relatable to their roles and experiences.
Finally, keep communication consistent and two-way. Share updates regularly, invite questions, and listen to concerns. Clarity, connection, and open dialogue are your best tools for building understanding and commitment.
How can I tell if my challenges are branding issues or internal operational problems?
It’s easy to confuse branding issues with operational problems, but the distinction is crucial. Branding issues typically surface externally - like inconsistent messaging, a lack of recognition in the market, or customer confusion about what you stand for. On the other hand, operational problems often originate internally - such as inefficient processes, misaligned teams, or unclear decision-making frameworks.
To differentiate, ask yourself: Is this problem about how we’re perceived, or how we function? If it’s about perception, it’s likely a branding issue. If it’s about execution, it’s operational. Often, the two are connected, so solving one might require addressing the other. Start by identifying the root cause and focus on clarity - internally and externally.
How can I choose the best time to introduce a change plan in my organisation?
Timing is everything when it comes to rolling out a change plan. The right moment depends on a mix of factors, including business priorities, team capacity, and the current organisational climate.
Start by assessing whether your team has the resources and focus to take on the change. If they're already stretched too thin, even the best plan may fail. Next, consider how the change aligns with key business goals - launching it during a critical period for other projects can create unnecessary friction. Finally, gauge the mood of the organisation. Are people ready for change, or is there resistance that needs addressing first?
The sweet spot lies where readiness, capacity, and alignment meet. When in doubt, test your timing with a small group of trusted stakeholders before going all in.