Changing flies is easier than you think
It’s rare, but every once in a while, I’ll tie on a fly, make my first cast, and catch a fish right away. Those are the perfect days—everything aligns. The fly’s the right size and color for the conditions, the cast feels effortless, the presentation is on point, and the fish is ready to eat. That’s the “happy path” on the process map.
But more often than not, things don’t go quite that smoothly. Sometimes you’re doing everything right—perfect casts, great technique—but nothing’s biting. You’re casting the same fly, in the same spot, to the same fish, over and over, and getting the same empty result.
Early on, I resisted changing flies. I treated it like it required a papal signature. I’d think, this fly worked last time; it has to work again! Or, what if I don’t tie the next one on right? Or, what if I pick the wrong one? It’s the same mindset we often face at work: change is hard.
Change Is Not an Afterthought
Change management is often overlooked, especially in technology projects. It’s too often dismissed as the “soft stuff” that happens after the real work is done; after the code is written, tested, and launched. Like salt added to fries, it’s seen as optional.
But in reality, change management is what determines whether a product, system, or process actually succeeds. I’ve always believed that the success of a program isn’t defined by its launch date. It’s defined by its adoption. You can build the best tool in the world, but if no one uses it, it doesn’t matter.
The Perception Problem
Change management can feel like it slows things down. It can pull teams away from what feels like progress: building, coding, launching. But the truth is, good change management doesn’t slow a project; it supercharges it.
When people hear “change management,” they might picture endless meetings, boring training sessions, and long emails. While those things can happen, that’s not the heart of it. The real goal is buy-in and helping people understand why something is changing and how it helps them. That understanding is what makes adoption faster and smoother.
Sure, some projects require people to just adapt and move on. But most initiatives aim to make things simpler, faster, or better, and when people see that, they’re far more likely to embrace the change.
Scaling the Effort to the Impact
Change management doesn’t need to be one-size-fits-all. The level of effort should scale with the level of impact.
Low-impact change: Updating the “Contact Us” page on a website? A one-page overview and quick heads-up might be all you need.
Medium-impact change: Redesigning the online shopping cart? You’ll likely need demo videos, walkthroughs, and feedback loops.
High-impact change: Launching a new product category that reshapes your business model? That requires hands-on training, simulations, and deeper organizational alignment.
Matching the approach to the size of the change keeps things efficient and ensures the right level of support.
The Art of the Adjustment
Effective change management starts early—when project objectives are set and success metrics are defined. It’s about having the right tools ready, reading the environment, and knowing when to adjust. Like choosing the right fly, it’s part skill, part instinct, and part experience.
Different stakeholders require different tactics. What resonates with the Finance team might not work for Marketing. The key is to stay observant, flexible, and willing to experiment.
Einstein’s famous definition of insanity applies here, too: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Keep reading the water, assess the conditions, and don’t be afraid to change the fly.
The more comfortable you become with change (whether it’s in fishing or business) the faster and more effective your pivots become. And the more time your line spends in the water, the more likely you are to catch the fish