Context is critical for engagement and buy-in. It provides meaning and clarity to the intended message and delivers a deeper understanding of the intent and direction of the new initiative or change, which helps build trust between an organization and its employees. Yet many organizations tend to focus more heavily on content rather than context. Why are so many missing the mark when it comes to context?

For starters, change is emotional, not intellectual. Often, our emotions override our decision making, so even if we intend to change our behaviors, our emotions get the best of us and prevent us from making the decisions that lead to change.

Additionally, employees rarely understand the context of change as well as leaders think they do. Leaders are often under the (wrong) impression that their people already get the content, and moving into the execution phase trumps all else. However, unveiling the change during a virtual town hall doesn’t mean they actually get the rationale behind it.

The solution: Leaders must focus on helping people make emotional connections to the change first. Like a great movie, it’s up to leaders to paint a picture of the drama, excitement, or adventure this will create for the business. This means telling them a compelling story as to why the change matters, how it will impact each person, how it will impact the organization as a whole, how obstacles will be tackled and successes celebrated.

Leaders must also remember that unlike the leadership team, most employees haven’t been immersed in the change for months and therefore need to understand the big picture and their role in it. They also need the time to digest this information, to ask questions, and to synthesize everything for themselves.

Often, organizations believe they need to “sell the change.” Leaders think it’s their job to stand at the front of the room and tell people, “This new initiative is the best thing since sliced bread!” before disappearing in a puff of smoke. By doing this, leaders set unrealistic expectations about how wonderful things will be and leave out all the parts that might not be so appealing.

Of course, this does an excellent job of getting people excited for the time being, but when reality sets in, people become disillusioned and start resisting change.

The solution: Leaders must help their people acknowledge the reality of their current difficulties but mix that with a positive belief that in the end, they will triumph. This requires them to have a very solid understanding of the current state – they need to know what’s happening on the front lines, know how their people are feeling, what’s working, what’s not, etc. – and the key shifts required of their people in order to reach their goal.

If leaders can set realistic and reasonable expectations, employees are more likely to stay committed to the change journey – despite the bumps encountered along the way. It’s the delicate balance of being grounded in the realities of the change, while feeling inspired by the vision for the future.

Leaders can’t possibly have answers to all of the questions that will arise during a transformation. So, it’s not helpful to set the tone that it’s all going to go just like clockwork. Leaders need to be thinking less about the answers and more about embracing and demonstrating a change mindset and get really comfortable with leading through ambiguity. The way your leaders show up matters.

The solution: When a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, there’s a “goo” phase while it’s in the cocoon. And just like your average, ordinary change process, the middle is also kind of gooey. As leaders, you must talk about what that can look like and how it can feel.

Most importantly, be empathetic and understanding while people are in the icky “goo” phase. Your job is building a change-resilient workforce. That means a lot of listening and coaching and giving your people the time and attention that allows them to go through the metamorphosis.