If you've ever worked on any big project that was likely to bring about significant change (and what project doesn't??), you've probably heard someone say something like "Our staff is really afraid of change."

But the truth is, people aren't afraid of change, they're afraid of uncertainty.

How do I know? We deal with change every day. Whether it's your local coffee shop being out of your favorite pastry, or your Zoom link not working correctly and having to scramble to dial a number, change hits us on a daily basis. And we deal with it.

But what unnerves people on new projects is the "not knowing." Not knowing what happens next. Not knowing how this will affect how I do things now. Not knowing whether I will have a job after this. All of this is very scary for many people.

The key is communication. Communicating what the project entails. Communicating what the project timeline is. Communicating how the changes will benefit your staff. And communicating consistently throughout the project.

People don't fear change, they fear uncertainty. So it's your obligation to eliminate as much uncertainty as possible.