How Do You Actually Get People to Change?

This is the real question, right?

You can map out a process improvement plan that looks amazing on paper. You can outline the tools, the timeline, and all the efficiencies you’ll unlock. But if your team—especially the ones who’ve been around the longest—don’t actually change how they work?

You’re left with a lot of documents in a shared drive, a frustrated leadership team, and one more “initiative” that didn’t stick.

So how do you get people to change?

Even more specifically—how do you get your old guard to adopt new ways of doing things, without losing the experience, instincts, and best practices they’ve built over the years?

Let’s talk about it.

We recently worked with a large commercial painting and drywall company who was in this exact situation. They’d tried multiple times to roll out new systems and process improvements—each one resulting in a short burst of enthusiasm followed by a quiet return to the way things had always been done.

The field team, the estimators, the operations crew—they all said they were on board. But when it came to actual behavior change? The old habits won. Every time.

So this time, we did it differently. And it worked. Here’s how:

1. Involve them from the start This sounds obvious, but it’s often skipped. If someone has been doing their job for 15 years and you roll out a brand-new process without their input, they’re going to reject it. Plain and simple.

What we did instead was invite the people doing the work—old guard and new guard—to participate in documenting the current state of operations. Not just so we could get it right, but so they could see themselves in it. Because when people feel seen and heard, they’re far more likely to engage in what comes next.

2. Reframe what the change is really about Change doesn’t stick when it’s positioned as an indictment of the past.

The messaging matters here. It’s not “we’re fixing what was broken.” It’s:

• We’re creating more breathing room for the team
• We’re reducing unnecessary rework
• We’re getting proactive instead of reactive
• We’re preparing the business for growth, and that growth includes you

The “why” has to connect to their day-to-day reality—and their future.

3. Preserve what works Not everything from the old way needs to go. In fact, trying to bulldoze legacy knowledge is a fast track to resentment.

Instead, we worked with their tenured team to capture and translate what worked best about their current approach, and brought those elements into the new process. That sent a clear message: we’re building on your foundation, not tearing it down.

4. Make them champions—not passengers One of the most effective things we did? Assign ownership of the change to the old guard themselves.

They helped lead training sessions. They were consulted during design reviews. They got public credit for helping move the business forward.

When you give people ownership of a new process—especially the people who are most skeptical of it—you create buy-in that sticks. Not because it came from the top, but because it came from their peers.

5. Repeat, reinforce, and normalize People don’t change because of one meeting or one memo. They change when the new way becomes the normal way.

That means:

• Training sessions at multiple stages—not just a one-and-done
• Quick reference tools (think checklists, playbooks, Loom videos)
• Regular feedback loops: what’s working, what’s still clunky
• KPIs tied directly to the new way of working

And yes, holding people accountable to the new expectations. Gently at first, then firmly if needed. You can be respectful of someone’s history with the company and still expect them to evolve.

The bottom line? Change management isn’t about convincing people. It’s about enabling them.

If you’re trying to drive meaningful operational change, especially in a company where “we’ve always done it this way” still echoes through the halls, you’re not dealing with a process problem—you’re dealing with a trust and ownership problem.

And the solution isn’t more documentation. It’s more collaboration, more clarity, and a whole lot more follow-through.

Thinking of tackling a process transformation in your organization—but worried your old guard might resist?

We’ve been there. We can help you do it differently this time. Let’s talk: info@launchpointco.com | www.launchpointco.com