Change management mistake #1: missing the “why”

The very first problem with making any change work is the ownership. Do you own the change - or is it someone else who owns your life, your time, your wishes, your agenda?

People can achieve tremendous things. If they really want.

The real motivation comes from the real desire, from the passion. From the depths of our personality. With the strong WHY, we chase our target and don't get distracted even when meeting some obstacles on the way.

A man with a strong desire to impress certain woman will exercise three-times a week, change his wardrobe and regularly shave the fuzz growing from his ears.

Remove the strong internal WHY and suddenly even a small progress seems difficult, reasons "not-to" feel at home and growing frustration quickly leads to abandoning the effort completely.

That same man, three years later and settled down, would have difficult time to keep his resolution to get few pounds down. Because it won't be his resolution. He makes that resolution because his wife told him that he should. Or because he was bombarded with advertisements for a fitness app, browsing Instagram, and he felt a bit guilty.

But in reality? He's just fine with his manly belly, almost hidden under a tracksuit. And yeah - that fuzz isn't much noticeable, is it? He just doesn't feel that real passion for change anymore.

Perhaps he will go to the gym twice and grab an ironed shirt next Sunday, pretending to others and himself that he wants it. But he will quit the change with the first trouble. And funny enough - he will feel frustration for not keeping up with a resolution he didn't really want in the first place...

Same principle applies to our jobs too. Even more, as we often get the tasks and projects assigned from our superiors. The trick to success is aligning the company's objective with our own objective.

Did you get a project that is cumbersome and you do not like it? If you feel like that, you won't succeed. You will not have a strong internal WHY and the real willpower to make it happen.

Instead, ask yourself, how this project may serve you. Can you use it to develop a new skill? Will it help you to progress in your career? Can you assemble to people you like to work with into the project team? Will you be able to travel to new places when on this project? Or will the project deliver an output you just feel right about?

Make any of this your WHY, make this your objective - aligning the interests and creating the power you need to overcome obstacles that - inevitably - will come.

Are you a manager and do you need to motivate your people for certain change?

Use the same approach. Just bin the corporate BS rhetorics like how great it will be for company / shareholders / customers / planet / etc. View the problem through their eyes and find the WHYs for THEM.

Strong WHY keeps you on the change track.

Strong WHY is personal.