Guide

Seven reasons change doesn't stick after week two

Week one is enthusiastic. Week two is fine. By week four the old way is back and nobody decided to bring it back. That is rarely a commitment problem — it is almost always a problem of grip: nothing was holding the change in place once attention moved elsewhere.

The seven reasons

• Nothing was removed. The new practice was added on top of a full week. The week wins.
• The old path is still easier. If the previous way remains one click or one habit away, it is the default.
• It depended on one person's attention. A change held up by a leader's presence ends when the leader is busy.
• No one saw a result. People sustain what visibly works. Without feedback within a couple of weeks, effort feels wasted.
• It was never anybody's job. A change owned by everyone is owned by no one.
• The measures still reward the old behaviour. When targets, reports or praise track the previous way, they quietly undo the new one.
• The first exception was never handled. One urgent case done the old way sets the precedent for every case after it.

What actually gives a change grip

• One named owner, and a date they report on.
• One thing removed for every thing added.
• The new way made the easiest path — defaults, templates, checklists, access.
• A visible signal reviewed on a fixed rhythm, so people see their own effect.
• A decided answer for the first exception, before it arrives.

Is grip your constraint?

Grip is one of the seven things the free diagnostic scores. If it comes out lowest, you will get concrete actions for holding the change and one signal to watch — rather than another push on commitment.