While change initiatives sometimes fail due to flawed strategies, they often fail because they overlook what people need to succeed.
Every organization has four distinct needs that arise the moment change is announced. Missing even one allows resistance to quietly grow, then suddenly explode. And no surprise, they parallel the four styles.
To understand what people need during times of change, we will use the DISC model, which associates the four styles with four birds: Eagle (D), Parrot (I), Dove (S), and Owl (C).
🦅 Eagles need bold vision
Eagles favor sweeping, revolutionary change over gradual, evolutionary steps. They disengage when change appears minor or uncertain. If the message centers on maintenance rather than progress, they lose interest or pursue their own plans.
Tip: Paint a compelling vision of the future that shows impact. Highlight the benefits of the change and how it improves efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Give Eagles something worth striving for so they can align their motivation with the initiative.
🦜 Parrots need buy-in
Parrots want to feel part of the story. A change that comes fully designed with no room for input feels restrictive. They want to be energized by the promising future ahead. If the change is announced with too much detail and too little enthusiasm, it will fall flat.
Tip: Make space for input early. Encourage reactions. Let Parrots help introduce the change. When they feel heard, they become your strongest supporters.
🕊 Doves need reassurance
Doves sense changes in their nervous system. They can feel how it will impact others and create disruptions to familiar patterns. Even positive changes can feel like loss. When leaders focus only on speed and results, Doves worry about relationships, stability, and unintended consequences.
Tip: Recognize what people might be feeling. Name concerns without dismissing them. Emphasize support, stability, and how everyone will be cared for during the transition.
🦉 Owls need clarity
Owls do not resist change; they resist ambiguity. When leaders announce a change without explaining the logic, process, and success criteria, Owls become concerned. They ask detailed questions, slow meetings, and appear skeptical, even though they’re trying to reduce risk.
Tip: Share timelines, decision-making criteria, and as much as you can. Provide Owls with concrete information to analyze so they can become advocates rather than critics.
Intentionally Drive Change
Change often fails because managers don’t communicate it in a way that resonates with their team. When managers communicate in their own style, they might assume it will be understood and supported. But that’s rarely the case.
When change is communicated to reach all four styles, it conveys impact, excitement, reassurance, and logic. Change is more likely to be supported when it is communicated in a way that people can hear and understand.
Learn how to drive change with the power of the personality styles through the Innovating IDEAs training program.
About Merrick Rosenberg
Merrick Rosenberg is the creator of the Eagle, Parrot, Dove, and Owl personality framework and author of Personality Intelligence: Master the Art of Being You. As an award-winning speaker and founder of Take Flight Learning, Merrick has helped hundreds of thousands of people unlock the power of personality styles to transform their communication, leadership, and relationships. He’s on a mission to make self-awareness accessible, fun, and unforgettable.
