They’re all suspicious of you. Every. Single. One of them.
What are these leaders actually doing in that boardroom? Who’s that new one who acts like he understands but doesn’t seem to have a clue? And what is that tie all about? Terrible tie. I do not like his tie.
The oldest emotion of mankind is fear, and the strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
So, employees resist, and with good reason. They have had changes slammed on them before which were tactically driven out of senior leadership or the technology department, masked as good for the business but in reality, felt more like a rouse masking a deeper operative at play, like job losses or headcount reductions.
People don’t fear change they fear the unknown. If they knew how good the future would be, they would welcome the changes necessary to get there.
Clear communication is the key. Confuse and you’ll lose. Keep it straightforward, try to inspire by appealing to peoples human nature, and be as consistent as you possibly can over the course of the transformation.