A leader uses a finger-and-foot analogy to show three ways teams respond to change: they revert to old habits, they adopt it and improve, or both sides get frustrated and stop. These patterns help leaders predict what will happen on their team.
Anytime you, as a teammate or a leader, attempt to implement any type of change at all, that's what's going to happen. And as simple and silly as that exercise is, it truly is going to, for you, demonstrate what you're going to experience with your teams in any project moving forward. Because there will always be the way we've done it. And people get pretty comfortable with the way we've done it. Until somebody gives them the finger. And as soon as that finger gets involved, one of three things happen, and this is what you just experienced. One of three things occurs. Either A, the finger begins to follow the foot and gives up on the change attempt and goes back to the way things were. B, the foot begins to follow the finger and things are changed, maybe for the better. Or C, what many of you experienced, they both get frustrated and stop.
