Big Change is Easier than Small
Big change is easier than small. Gradual change – when situations are painful – prolongs distress.
A hard “no” is easier than “maybe.” Decisive transitions draw a line. Gradual changes create complexity.
Big change simplifies life when refusal is required.
Big Change is Easier than Small…
#1. When Roles Change
Moving from individual contributor to manager is a radical shift. Easing into big change is living in limbo. A radical shift allows for emotional clarity, a clean break.
You can’t discover who you’re becoming while clinging to who you were.
#2. When Gradual Change Prolongs Pain
Small changes prolong dissatisfaction. When the current situation is toxic incremental improvement feels like death by a thousand cuts.
Bold moves create clear breaks.
#3. When Soft Commitments Create Confusion
When you’re half in and half out, others don’t know how to relate to you. A clean break simplifies expectations.
#4. When Momentum Matters
Big change creates urgency and focus. It compels people to adapt. Incremental change loses steam over time.
#5. When the Environment Won’t Let Go
The gravity of past patterns defeats the magnetism of new ideas. Others pull you back into old roles. A dramatic exit makes the shift real. It makes returning to former roles unlikely.
Questions to Explore:
- “What new identity are you forming? What do people with that identity do?” (Think of behaviors you aren’t currently doing.)
- “What’s the cost of gradual change? Big change? What are the advantages of a decisive transition?”
- “What would a clean break make possible?”
- “What does gradual change make possible?”
Turning the page hurts less than lingering.
When is jumping into the deep end the best option?
Ten Radical Shifts in Thinking all Leaders Face
Leading Change May Need to Begin with Changing Yourself HBR
Note: Small changes often produce big improvements. Changing two words, for example, changes conversations in a big way. Instead of saying, “We can’t,” ask, “What else?”
I am a Process Transformation Manager for a multi-year digital transformation project that affects 23K users. The change converts dozens of legacy software solutions over 35 campuses into one common solution with highly configured harmonized processes for our business. The project is also Agile, meaning it iterates configurations as we continue to introduce new code, The big change happens when we transition each site in, and cut off their old systems. We provide dedicated hypercare to each location for 90-ish days to help with adoption stabilization and this helps tremendously. Its the ongoing code iterations that prolong the change pain while our development team works to answer enhancement requests and introduce new capabilities to existing users. Not sure how to combat that part yet other than thorough release notes and a super clear communications/training approach. Ideas?
Thanks for jumping in today. It seems like you’re dealing with two change curves at once — the big cutover and the drip of ongoing updates. The first can be exhausting, but the second can feel like death by a thousand cuts.
You might consider (if you haven’t already):
#1. Create a Rhythm. Instead of rolling out enhancements whenever they’re ready, establish a predictable cadence — monthly or quarterly release windows. Predictability reduces anxiety.
#2. Recruit Change Champions. Recruit power users at each site to pilot new features early, give feedback, and advocate for them with peers. This turns change into peer-led momentum rather than top-down mandates.
#3. Include micro-training. Add a 2-minute video when you rollout updates.
Just some thoughts. I wish you success.
Thanks so much for sharing this…… I have lived through this process personally on so many levels as I process things by nature which causes me to typically transition slowly, but once processed I can move quickly….. Therefore, in a sense it is a slow and fast transition at the same time. Slow internal transition (often many do not even know what I am working on “in my head”” and then when I come to a conclusion I will transition quickly. Not sure if this is the right way to do things or not, but I have noticed through several transitions in life that this is the pattern I have followed.
Love your insight. You do the hard work on the inside first. The internal processing is the real work.
The risk is that others haven’t been on the journey with you. Your clarity might feel sudden to them. (Just a thought)
You might try dropping breadcrumbs as you process — just a word or two about what you’re considering. It might make your fast transition easier for others to accept.
Also, I’ve noticed that the letting go process is harder than taking hold of the new. Leaders often try to add the new without letting go of the old. It’s usually exhausting.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. They are helpful and encouraging. Cheers
When is jumping into the deep end the best option?
When holding together the old ways is stealing some (or all) the energy that could power the new way forward. I’m in software development, and I see a lot of peers struggling with legacy solutions that are well past originally planned end-of-life dates. Naturally there’s a balancing point (and business priorities must be considered).
Sometimes cutting losses is less painful than deciding how to gracefully end an old solution, or fighting to keep the old stuff together and perfect all the way to the final finish line. The more you spend holding together the old with duct tape and elbow grease, the less you can spend on building what’s next.
Thanks for your insights. Your last sentence speaks the simple obvious truth that needs to be said. Many leaders and managers don’t appreciate it.
Dan, I don’t believe big changes are necessarily easier than small ones. What I do believe is that clear, decisive transitions are far easier to navigate than a series of tentative, ‘let’s see how this works’ adjustments.
You insights add value, Paul. Clarity enhances the change process. That’s important and powerful.