We’ve all heard the saying (or myth): “People resist change.” But this is a very destructive myth. People do not naturally resist change. They resist the pain of change. They resist the fear of the unknown.

The brain is naturally going to seek, be curious, explore, and do new things. It’s how the brain thrives. But to do that, you have to feel safe. When you feel safe enough, then you go out and explore. You can’t change when you’re defensive.

A leader has to be able to give that trust and sense of security. That’s when explosions of creativity can occur. The failure for many leaders is that they are creating negative states in other people because of their own negative mindset. They can’t hold on to positive energy or positive focus. You have to look beyond the pain and frustration to find the opportunities.

When the leader is someone who can be trusted, who creates a trusting environment and who communicates the benefits of change, employees will follow in seeking the benefit of that change.

In today’s environment, success is therefore dependent of feeling secure in order to seek change, challenge and take risks (even in times of uncertainty). It is essential that leaders serve as “secure bases” for their employees so that the brain’s defensive and over protective system can be turned off.

Summing-up: The natural human response to uncertainty is often interpreted as resistance to change. The goal of a secure base is not safety in itself, but rather the foundation to actively seek challenge, new learnings and change.