Driving Change
By: Jat Thompson
Tags: Sports, Coaching, Leadership, Change

When you drive change within your program you will naturally get some push back (directly or indirectly). Implementing change involves a learning process for staff along with the adoption of new tasks. For some, these added responsibilities can feel overwhelming or constricting, while others may feel threatened by the departure from the old ways. Some may outright disagree with the initiative because they are not philosophically aligned with the effort. As the leader of your program, it is important to know each member of your staff’s attitude towards the initiative. The quad chart below provides a mechanism for you to gauge your staff’s level of understanding and commitment.

The 2x2 chart provides a simple mechanism to gauge the “buy-in” of your staff members. Specifically, it asks two essential questions:

1. Do they understand (Can they do it)?

2. Are they committed (Will they do it)?

The answers to these two questions reveal insight to help you better lead staff through the adoption process. There are a few more insights hidden in this simple diagram. I’ve numbered the quadrants using Roman numerals I to IV, starting with the ideal quadrant up and to the right and continuing counter-clockwise.

Properly combined, high understanding and high commitment reveal what every head coach seeks and wants — a “Champion.” A champion displays a unique blend of both understanding and commitment.

High commitment combined with low understanding reveal a “Good Soldier.” A good soldier understands authority and the chain-of-command but doesn’t clearly understanding the new initiative. They will be compliant because they don’t want to let the head coach down. Their lack of understanding, however, may result in less than ideal execution.

Low commitment and low understanding reveal a “Doubter.” A doubter does not understand why they are being asked to change and, as a result, will exhibit a low level of commitment to abide by the rules. Doubters frustrate leaders because they just don’t seem to “get it.” Surprisingly, however, many doubters can quickly be converted to champions simply by helping them understand why they are doing it and how to do it.

Finally, low commitment and high understanding reveal a “Saboteur.” This person understands what you are seeking to accomplish, but has knowingly decided to subvert the change process. Consider them indifferent at best and negligent at worst. The saboteur is most dangerous to a team.

So how do we do create a staff full of champions? The first step is education — an intentional effort to inform staff members why we need to make the change, how it will positively affect them and the team, and how to integrate the change into their existing practices. Proper education will shift staff members from quadrants 2 and 3 to either 1 or 4. The second is motivation — providing a reason to adopt the change by demonstrating the value it will deliver and connecting their effort to a set of rewards or consequences. Proper motivation will shift staff members from quadrants 3 and 4 to either 1 or 2. The goal is to move up and to the right on this 2x2 chart.

By considering each staff member’s understanding and attitude towards the current initiative, you can specifically target your messaging in a way that will increase your odds of gaining acceptance that will lead to successful adoption to what you are trying to achieve.