Whether it is replacing an industry rock star like Jobs, or a charismatic founder of a family firm, getting others to but into a change at the top is always a challenge.

A challenge, yes, but not impossible: Here are some tips for making it happen:

1). If you don’t buy-in, no one else will either. Believe you belong in the top spot and keep telling yourself that. If you have some self-doubts, that’s normal. Almost all senior leaders in a vulnerable moment will tell you they do. But don’t give in to your doubts. Put minimal energy into second guessing yourself. Learn from mistakes and move on.

2). Don’t try to be like your predecessor. You have your own style and way of doing things. Trust your instincts, and your track record. Choose a management and leadership style that works for you, versus trying to replicate what worked for those who came before. Rise and fall on your own merits and demerits, versus trying to be someone or something you are not. The latter is a certain recipe for failure. The former gives you a fighting chance for success.

3). Know what to keep. While you always want to be yourself, it is important to know what not to change. Certain core values, some traditions, and cherished company folklore- you’d do best to not mess with those. People will more readily accept and follow you, if you demonstrate you know and care about what matters most to them.

4). Expect criticism no matter what you do. It will take time for others to adjust to you as the leader. Inevitably there will be complaints you aren’t doing it right, which is a natural reaction to a leader different from what they have known before. Over time these complaints will subside, especially as they see your strategies and tactics driving success.

5). Give yourself time. Going through change is like planting a garden – you have to let nature take its course. Rushing will do you no good. So make a plan and stick to it, making adjustments along the way as necessary. Remember, you got this job because someone believed in you. Stay the course and reap the rewards.

As I write this post, the 2012 Olympics are taking place.  For every medalist, there is a coach behind them: pushing, challenging, cajoling, and exhorting them to new levels of performance excellence.

I am sure these coaches aren’t always so “nice” in how they go about their business. That’s not their job. It’s to help their athlete’s win, to achieve their maximum level of performance. Coaches do that by reinforcing what’s going well, pointing out what needs to improve, and showing their athletes how to get better.

You can apply these same principles at work.

Employees always know at some level when they aren’t cutting it. And no one likes to fail. They need a strong leader to let them know where the gaps are in their performance and how to bridge them to give them a fighting chance at success. Have the tough conversation and help them out. Don’t be a jerk about it, but don’t avoid the conversation either because you want to be “nice.”

Unfortunately, I have run into countless leaders who have sidestepped tough conversations with under performers because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. Therefore the employee’s behavior does not change nor do results. Eventually the employee gets fired, quits, or is transferred to another department to become someone else’s problem.

Remember, a leader’s job is not to make everyone comfortable. It’s to help people and the organizations they serve be the best they can be.  Step up and be that leader.

Do that and I promise your outcomes will be nice.

“Business athletes” can learn to do something quite similar.

In the January-February 2012 issue of the Harvard Business Review, Andrew Molinsky shares his ideas for how to be successful managing across cultures (Harvard Business review, Jan-Feb. 2012, Code Switching between Culture, Andrew Molinsky, pp140-141).

He points out that knowing how to act and behave in a specific culture is very different than actually acting or behaving that way in fact. Molinsky further clarifies that a primary concern in this instance is managers feeling inauthentic or uncomfortable when trying out or trying on their new behavior.

This dilemma underscores a fundamental principle that applies whenever you are trying to adapt to change, or trying to make change happen:

You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Athletes get uncomfortable because they push physical boundaries. Business athletes have to get uncomfortable pushing their own emotional boundaries by experimenting with new behaviors.

When trying new behaviors, we often have to face that internal voice that undermines our confidence: I’m not sure I can do this. I feel silly. What if I fail? Such thoughts are common, as are the uncomfortable feelings of fear and uncertainty they help spawn.

What to do?

First, recognize such thoughts and feeling are common. You are not the only one who thinks and feels this way, so get over it.

Second, don’t give in to these internal naysayers. Counter their negative effects with more positive thoughts: I can do this. I won’t worry about looking silly (or better yet, I’ll simply laugh at myself). The only way I can fail is if I don’t try, etc.

Third, keep trying the new behaviors. Over time they will become the new norm and the discomfort you initially experienced will dissipate.

But don’t settle in just yet. Because once you have established a new norm, it will soon be time to push your comfort boundaries once again.

And time to let the learning, and growing, begin anew.

Crocs, those incredibly ugly yet incredibly comfortable shoes, exploded on the scene in 2004. They were an immediate hit. By 2007 they were selling 50 million pairs a year and raking in nearly a billion dollars. Read their story on cnn.com here.

Then, just as fast, by 2009 the company almost went belly-up. The economy crashed. The market was saturated. There was little product diversification. The company almost left the business scene as suddenly as it had appeared.

But today, Crocs is once again thriving, growing and expanding.

How did they do it?

Crocs realized that their core value proposition to their customers was comfort. The ugly, colorful plastic shoes attracted some and repulsed others, but comfort was the common denominator and core offering. So they expanded their product line to include more fashionable desi gns while maintaining comfort. These new products now account for 54% of company sales, and 65% of all sales come from new and expanding overseas operations.

Three lessons emerge:

Beware success. The most dangerous times are when you are most successful, because the need for change and innovation slips from view.

Constantly change and innovate, but do not stray from the core value prop that differentiates you in the marketplace. Know what makes you special and don’t change that. Instead, bake it into everything you do.

Business, like life in general, is going to have its ups and downs. As Spencer Johnson taught us in his book Peaks and Valleys, enjoy the highs but learn from the lows.
Crocs did. And you can too. Learn from the ugly shoe with the beautiful story:

Constantly change what you do, but know who you are, and embrace it.

It’s a simple but powerful formula for long-term success.

It was from JC Penny.

Now, I don’t know about you, but the adjectives I used to describe the flyer- bright, bold, sharp, beautiful-  are not ones I associate with the JC Penny brand. Hardly.

And that’s the point. JC Penny is out to change their brand big time. And they are going about it the right way.

I surmise that from a note at the front of the flyer. Here are some excerpts:

“This year, we turn 110. We’re fine with growing old. We’re not fine with growing stale….We’re rethinking and reimagining, and if we find that we’ve picked up any bad habits over the decades, we’re going to leave them far behind.”

This is brilliant.

Too often when companies or individuals decide to change, they don’t tell relevant stakeholders what they are up to, and more importantly, why. The folks making the changes assume that everyone will notice the new behavior and be appropriately impressed.

Wrong.

Often, people are surprised or confused when something or someone familiar changes, even if it can be argued that the change is for the better.  Worse still, the change can be missed altogether, as people go on automatic pilot and see what used to be, versus seeing what is new, and now.

The way around this dilemma? Every time you make a major change, tell people about it. Let them know what you are doing and why.

Going to seek a little more life balance? Tell your team, as they will have to pick up the slack. Going to change a product line or process? Tell your customers and vendors, so they can prepare and respond appropriately.

Communicate your change. Often.  Otherwise you can put a lot of time and energy into the new company or the new you or the new product line, and no one but you will notice. Or care.

Take a lead from JC Penny. Be bold. Be bright. And don’t be afraid to announce the good news.

Two primary ingredients comprise their success. First, the company was established on a set of unwavering values. John Deere products and people have shifted over time. Their values have not.  And those values continue to inform executives’ long-term vision and everyday behavior.

Second, the organization does not rest. John Deere constantly seeks to innovate and improve their products and services. They recognize that success can breed complacency, and they refuse to let that happen.

How do you and your organization compare? Do you have a set of company values? Are they real- that is, do they guide behavior and inform decisions- or are they just meaningless platitudes hanging on the wall?

Are you continuing to adapt, learn and grow, both yourself and your business? You can’t do one without the other.

Learn to ‘run like a Deere.’ They are doing it right.

So I shared with him this simple but powerful exercise: Draw two overlapping circles. Label the overlapping area “Us,” label one side “Me” and the other side “My Partner,” respectively. Your diagram should look something like this:

Next, under the “Me” heading, list all the things you could see yourself doing in the next phase of your life and career. Include work and recreational activities. Your list might include things like  “Volunteer with local charity. Teach. Sit on local Board. Start a bed and breakfast. Golf. Travel. etc.” Put down whatever makes sense to you.  Then, under “Partner” list all the things you imagine your partner would enjoy doing in the next phase of life. Finally, under the overlapping “Us” column, list the things you would like to see you and your partner be engaged in together.

Independently ask your partner to do the same exercise. Then, get together, compare your lists, and discuss the results. Highlight points of agreement. Where you differ, use the exercise as a catalyst for discussing how and why you differ. The goal is not to make sure your lists end up exactly the same. Rather, the goal is to use the exercise as a catalyst for revealing activities that might bring you joy and fulfillment, individually and as partners.

My client and his wife have planned a weekend getaway to do the exercise. I look forward to hearing how it goes. If you and your partner give the exercise a try, I would love to hear from you too.

Transitions can be hard, even scary. A little foresight and planning can make them occasions for igniting a new and rewarding way of life.