I was fortunate to recently be invited to present to a local business group on the subject of Building Great Teams.
Part of the presentation included an introduction to the Success Through People Model© as a framework for building and sustaining high-performing teams. When we got to the Q&A part of the session one of the attendees made a comment along the lines of; “That’s great, and it all makes sense, but what about the 1 or 2 people that simply won’t engage? You know the ones, they just want to collect their paycheck and go home.”
Their comment (not the first time I’ve heard it BTW!), reminded me of multiple change efforts I’ve been involved in over the years in which the pattern appears to be:
- 10–20% of the team are “change champions”; engaged, enthusiastic, and ready to help.
- Around 60% are what we might call the “wait and see-ers”; not against the change, but not quite sold just yet. Their support depends on how the process rolls out.
- 10–20% are “naysayers”; seem to be resistant regardless of what the change is. Sometimes loudly. Sometimes quietly. Either way, consistently.
If you’ve been responsible for leading change, you’ll probably recognise these groups immediately.
And here’s the common mistake I see: leaders of change often focus far too much time and emotional energy on the naysayers.
It’s understandable. Naysayers are sometimes noisy. They can be disruptive. They can trigger doubt. And if you’re conscientious, you might feel responsible for bringing everyone along.
But from a business perspective, it’s usually a poor return on effort.
Why focusing on naysayers is such a costly distraction
When you pour your attention into the most resistant 10–20%, a few things happen:
- You starve the champions of oxygen. The people who want to help you succeed get less attention, less reinforcement, and less access.
- You leave the middle group to drift. Your “wait and see-ers” don’t get the clarity, reassurance, and proof they need to commit.
- You accidentally reward resistance. The squeakiest wheel gets the grease, and everyone notices.
- You burn out. Trying to persuade someone who doesn’t want to be persuaded is a fast track to frustration.
The reality is blunt: a small number of people just won’t be persuaded, and a percentage probably won’t even allow themselves to be persuaded.
That doesn’t mean you ignore them or treat them unfairly. It does however mean that you should stop building your change strategy around them.
The smarter focus: back the champions and win the middle
If you want change to stick, your best leverage is usually:
- Encourage and embrace the champions
- Focus on getting the wait-and-see-ers on board
When the middle moves, you create majority momentum. When majority momentum builds, the naysayers ultimately face a simple challenge:
- fall in, or
- fall out (most often by self-selection).
That’s not harsh. It’s reality.
A business can’t be held hostage by a small number of people who are committed to staying stuck.
What “focus on the champions” actually looks like
This isn’t about cheerleading. It’s about using your champions as a force multiplier.
Here are a few practical ways to do it:
- Involve them early. Identify them quickly and ask them for input before decisions are locked in, so they can help shape the rollout.
- Give them real roles. For example: pilot group, peer support, training buddy, feedback collector.
- Recognise them. Not with cringe awards, just simple, genuine acknowledgement of their contribution.
- Protect them from cynicism. If champions get punished socially for being positive, they’ll go quiet.
Champions help you normalise the new way of working. They make change feel less like “management’s idea” and more like “how we do things now.”
How to bring the wait-and-see-ers along (without begging)
Your middle 60% are watching for three things:
- Clarity: Do I understand what’s changing and what’s expected of me?
- Credibility: Do leaders mean what they say, or will this fade out like the last initiative?
- Cost/Benefit: What will this cost me; time, competence, status, comfort, relationships? How will it benefit me/my team/the business?
If you want the middle to move, focus your leadership effort on:
1) Making the “why” simple and repeated
If you need a 27-slide presentation to explain the change, you don’t have clarity yet.
Try this instead:
- What problem are we solving?
- Why now?
- What will be better if we get it right? (for the business, for teams and individuals?)
- What will stay the same?
Then repeat it. More than you think you should.
2) Make expectations and standards visible
Change creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates anxiety.
Be clear:
- what “good” looks like during the transition
- what decisions people can make without approval
- what must be escalated
- what you’ll measure (and what you won’t)
3) Create quick proof (small wins)
Wait-and-see-ers don’t need perfection. They need evidence.
Pick early wins that are:
- visible
- relevant to daily work
- achievable within weeks, not months
4) Listen, but don’t confuse listening with negotiating
People need to be heard.
But not every concern comes with veto rights.
A useful line is:
- “I hear you. Here’s what we can adjust, and here’s what we’re not changing, and why.”
That’s respectful and clear.
What to do with the naysayers (without letting them run the show)
Naysayers still need leadership. Just not endless attempts at persuasion.
A practical approach is:
- Be clear about expectations. Behaviour, outcomes, and timelines.
- Have the direct conversation early. Curious first (“What’s behind your view?”), then clear (“Here’s what needs to happen.”).
- Offer reasonable support. Training, clarity, check-ins.
- Set boundaries and consequences. And follow through.
If someone chooses not to engage, that’s their choice. But it can’t be consequence-free, because that’s how change stalls and cultures slide.
And if you’re thinking, “But what if they’re influential?”; all the more reason to be clear early. Influence without accountability is a change and culture killer.
A quick note on culture (because change always reveals it)
You can’t implement change in a vacuum. Change happens inside your culture.
If your culture is healthy, change might still be uncomfortable, though is workable.
If your culture is shaky, change potentially turns into:
- politics
- blame
- passive resistance
- “we tried that once” energy
So if you’re seeing strong resistance, it’s worth asking a bigger question:
- Is this resistance about this change?
- Or is it a symptom of trust, clarity, accountability, or leadership issues that were already there?
That’s one reason we use the Success Through People Model as a framework for building and sustaining high-performing teams: it keeps leaders focused on the fundamentals that make change easier to lead.
Want a practical tool to support your change process?
If you’d like a simple, SME-friendly resource, you can access further tips and grab your free Success Through People Change Management Checklist here:
It’s designed to help you keep your head when things get messy, and to focus on what actually moves the needle.
The bottom line: focus where your effort has the greatest impact.
If you’re leading change, your job isn’t to win an argument with the most resistant people in the room.
Your job is to:
- back your champions
- bring the middle with you
- set clear expectations for everyone, and
- make it easier for your business to move forward than to stay stuck.
When you do that, the naysayers get a clear choice: fall in or fall out.
And that’s not just good change management, it’s effective leadership.
Need a hand?
If you’re working through a change effort and want support with your culture, leadership alignment, or keeping your team moving in the same direction, reach out.
Email me at [email protected] and we can have a practical conversation about what’s happening in your business and what to focus on next.