Hello all! We are in a series called What does Pickleball have to do with change management? In this series, I’m sharing some of the lessons I’ve learned from playing pickleball that have direct application to my work as a change management practitioner. I took a break last week. Last week’s post was People have a lot going on in their lives. This week’s lesson is….

Honest, authentic communication is important

There is a pickleball tradition that I like and don’t like at the same time. After the end of each game the players meet at the net, tap paddles, and say “good game”. This happens whether the score was super close or if one team got “pickled” (didn’t score any points). I do enjoy the sportsmanship of this tradition. However, while I understand the sentiment behind saying “good game”, it rings hollow and feels disingenuous when one team just got blown out.

In change management work, there is often a push for people to “get on the bus” and be all in for the change. Anyone expressing something other than full on support for an extended period of time is seen as not being a team player. I believe it’s critical to the success of any change for the environment be safe for people to express their honest, authentic thoughts and feelings.

I believe it’s critical to the success of any change for the environment be safe for people to express their honest, authentic thoughts and feelings.

To me, that means if you’re totally on board with the change you should be allowed to express that without being labeled as “toxically positive”. By the same token, if you’re struggling with the change or aren’t in favor of it, you should be able to express this and work through it without being labeled as “resistant”.

Closing thoughts

I want to hear from you! Have you worked on projects where honest, authentic communication has been encouraged or discouraged? How has each approach affected you? How has it affected project outcomes?

Please post your thoughts and comments below. Let’s help each other become the best change management practitioners and enthusiasts we can be!

Thank you for reading. Until next time, take care and keep up the good work!