NEW EPISODE OF BEYOND THE BID
You roll out new software. You run the training. Everyone nods. Three weeks later, half the team is back on spreadsheets.
On this week’s episode I sat down with Estie Briggs of Briggs Performance Consulting. Estie works in organization development and change management, with a background in psychology, training, and software rollouts. Estie’s point stuck with me: people don’t resist new tools because they’re stubborn. They resist because every change asks them to give something up.
This Week: Why Good People Push Back
Think about your best long-time employee. They know the old process cold. They’re the one everybody asks.
Now you automate that process. You see efficiency. They see their expertise disappearing overnight. That feeling of “I used to be good at this” is what drives quiet pushback, not laziness.
Here’s how Estie gets past it:
Find the pain first. Before you pick a tool, sit down with the people who’ll use it. Ask what slows them down every day. Fix that, and they’ll want the change.
Start with your early adopters. About 13% of any team likes trying new things. Make them your change champions. Let them test it first and win the rest of the team over.
Roll it out in sprints, not all at once. Test on one small team, get a quick win, then grow from there. Flipping the switch for everyone on day one builds resentment.
The big shift: AI should add to what your people can do, not replace who they are. Show them how the tool gives them more responsibility, not less.
What we cover
The “neutral zone,” the messy stretch after the old way ends but before the new way sticks, and why productivity dips there are normal
Why stalled rollouts are usually caused by real problems like bad Wi-Fi, clunky PDF workarounds, or no safe place to practice, not a lack of training
How small choices, like letting people color-code their own notes, give them a sense of ownership
Why you should publicly call out your power users to keep the team from sliding back
If your team is going back to the old way, don’t ask who’s being difficult. Ask what’s getting in their way.
How to roll out new tools without losing your team
Listen. Interview the people the change affects before you choose anything.
Champion. Pick your early adopters and let them lead.
Sprint. Test small, win fast, then expand.
Recognize. Call out the people using it well, and keep improving the system based on what they tell you.
Want to go deeper?
The weekly workshop also introduces our Contractor Operating System, a six-month cohort that builds six core systems into your business: Vision & Strategy, Finance & Reporting, Marketing & Sales, Production, Operations & Automation, and HR & Leadership. It starts January 7, 2027. We’re taking 20 companies, and only one per trade in each area, so you won’t sit next to your competition.
Steal this for your company
Pick one tool your team uses every day. This week, ask three people one question: “What’s the most annoying part of using this?” Don’t defend it. Just write down what they say. The answer that comes up twice is your next fix.
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What’s one tool your team stopped using, and why do you think it didn’t stick?
Grant
