When You’re Rejected for the Changes You Were Hired to Create
I was giving a speech about resistance to change. A woman in the audience put her hand up. She introduced herself and then asked, “What if I’m the change that people are resisting?” I could instantly relate to this woman…brought into the organization to make change and then soundly rejected for doing what she’d been hired to do.
Maybe you’re one of them. You were sold on the promise, “We need some new blood, like you. Change agents who will shake things up and help us transition into the company we need to be.” Then, within a matter of months you were rejected and ostracized by the people you were supposed to be helping.
But I was just trying to help!?!
Yup.
I think of it like organ donation. It can be true that you are exactly what the organization needs to restore its health AND that the organization will reject you with every fibre of its being.
In the case of organ rejection, there are strong immunosuppressants that minimize the body’s attack. Although there’s no magic pill to cure the rejection you’re experiencing, there are some strategies to minimize it.
Consider the Source
First, think about the source of the animosity. Your presence could be threatening to those who…
