If you’re leading a disruptive business change—a company-wide digital transformation, for example—you’re probably feeling the pressure. 

Both in business and elsewhere in life, we’re taught to associate change with pain and discomfort. It’s no surprise then that many people fear transformation and assume the mindset that change is hard. But to be most effective in leading your organization through a major shift, you can’t buy into negativity or you’ll hesitate during crucial decision-making moments. 

Here are eight rules of business and psychology that will transform how you think about organizational change and put you in the right mindset to lead. 

1. Every Successful Project Requires Change

If there’s no change, there’s no progress—you wind up right where you started—which is why every successful project requires change. While project management is about implementation, change management is about the adoption of new behaviors and mindsets. You can’t have one without the other; they are interdependent and integral to the success of any change effort.

2. Change is Personal

While a brave few embrace change, most people react to a major shift with apprehension. 

Whether the change is a new routine, a reorganization, or other day-to-day impact, when faced with change, people’s first instinct is to understand the personal impact, or the “What’s in it for me?” They want to know why going through a learning curve and adjustment period is worth it. Once they have grappled with the answer, they can assist others on the change journey.

3. Change Is Emotional

If we believe that change is frightening,  that reality can be dangerous for leaders trying to maintain order because feelings are a more powerful change motivator than logic. As much as we’d like to believe we are rational human beings, our emotions undermine the logical part of our brain. You need to manage your employees’ emotions as much as any other aspect of your change process.

4. People Commit to What They Help Shape

Everyone wants to be in control of his or her life. Instead of telling people what to do, help them craft their own hero journey with you. They’re far more likely to get on board with and commit to your change plan if you give them the opportunity to help shape it than if you simply tell them how it’s going to be.

5. Your Audience Is Hungry for Your Message

People crave information. They want to consume it with delight and embrace the vision that’s worthy of their time, their efforts, and their legacies. 

As a business leader, you have more access to information and a bigger picture view than any of your employees. Therefore, it’s up to you to make sure the right information gets communicated to them in a way that minimizes confusion and maximizes buy in.

6. People Like Progress

Everyone wants to feel like they’re part of something that’s progressing, improving, and growing. They want to progress on a personal level, too. As a leader, you can tap into this and discover the deep desire of humanity to wrestle, adapt, and master the shifts of nature in search of comfort and control. 

Frame change as a path toward progress to get your employees on board with your plan.

7. Everyone Wants to Change for the Better, and Everyone Can

We as human beings are capable of adapting to change in search of growth, opportunities, and mastery of our environment. Keep this in mind as you share plans for change with your employees. Remember, before anything else, they will likely wonder, “What’s in it for me?” 

Have confidence that even the most resistant employee can come around to your company’s change if they can clearly see how it offers a path to improvement.

8. With the Proper Process, Change Is Not Hard

Lastly, know that change is only hard when it is attempted aimlessly, or when it takes place under a devastating crisis. But if you go into it with a clear process and outcome in mind, you can transform your outlook on change. It will no longer be something that frightens, but an opportunity that excites. It’s a chance for you to embark on your most ambitious professional journey yet, and encourage the leadership growth of your team along the way. 

This article was adapted from the book, “No One’s Listening and It’s Your Fault,” written by Pam Marmon.