How Engineering Leaders Can Help People Accept Change on Their Own Terms | Ep 255

Guest: Jeff Wetherfold | Host: Dr. James Bryant, PE | EP 255

What do you do when the people you lead don’t agree with the change? Jeff Wetherhold spent years in change management and organizational improvement before realizing that most change efforts, even the well-designed ones, don’t hold. He explains why calling people “resistant” works against you, and how active listening techniques help people move toward change on their own terms. Then, in Coach in Your Corner, Dr. James Bryant shows how the same strategy can work at home.

• Most change doesn’t stick. Jeff cites an international survey showing 88% of organizational changes have no lasting impact, a result that held steady from 2013 to 2023.
• A plan based on what you already know will reach the people you’re already reaching. It won’t convince anyone who isn’t already open-minded.
• Calling someone “resistant” turns a response in the moment into a character trait and signals that you’ve written them off.
• Behind most hesitation are human concerns: missing information, not understanding why the change is happening, having seen it fail before, or an impact on identity.
• Try “hesitant” or “hasn’t accepted the change yet.” Those terms leave room to learn what’s really going on.
• Too many questions put you in the driver’s seat. Reflecting back what you hear lets the other person explore their own motivation.
• Intrinsic motivation isn’t only the right thing to do. It’s the most efficient. Extrinsic rewards lose value over time and don’t build habits.
• Listen for both motivation and hesitation, often in the same sentence.
• The skills you build at work carry over to home, but only when you make the connection. You are the same person in both places.
• Treating everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of their station, helps unite people toward a common goal.

Jeff Wetherhold has spent his career in change management and organizational improvement, starting in behavioral science and adult education. After realizing that most change efforts don’t last, he set out to learn how professions like counseling, negotiation, and political canvassing help people make change on their own terms, and to translate those skills for leaders and managers. He works with many mission-driven leaders and values-driven organizations, and his book is expected in 2027. Learn more at changewithdignity.com or connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.

Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.