During a recent Ask the Petfood Pro fireside chat hosted by the Women in Petfood Leadership initiative, Billie Johnson, Ph.D., vice president of Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs for BHJ North America, shared hard-won lessons on overcoming resistance to change in pet food manufacturing environments.
Drawing on nearly three decades of industry experience, Johnson offered practical strategies for leaders navigating everything from new certifications to process overhauls — and explained why patience, communication and buy-in are the real drivers of successful change.
1. Start with the "why."
Before introducing any change, leaders must clearly explain its purpose, whether it's a new regulation, a cost-savings opportunity, or an efficiency improvement.
Johnson recalled a veteran employee who had worked the same process for 25 years. "He asked me, 'Why do I need to change what we're doing? We've been doing it this way for 25 years and it has worked.' That told me right away what they needed to hear: the reason driving the change. Once people understand the why, they're far more open to the how."
2. Don't overwhelm people with details.
While it's tempting to share everything, too much information can actually increase fear and resistance. Johnson recommends giving teams a high-level overview rather than a line-by-line breakdown.
"If you give them all the details upfront, it can make the change sound more complicated and convoluted than it really is," she said. "You've got to give them enough information to help them understand, and then focus on generating the enthusiasm and the buy-in."
3. Read the room — literally.
Body language and nonverbal cues are powerful indicators of where a team stands. Johnson described a memorable moment during a GFSI certification rollout: "One woman walked into the room with her arms crossed. I knew right then she was completely opposed to the change.
"But as we continued to explain, connecting what they'd done before with what would be different, her arms relaxed, and she started leaning forward," said Johnson. "By the end of the meeting, she was fully engaged."
4. Identify your "first responders."
In any group, some people will embrace change quickly. These early adopters are invaluable allies.
"These are the people who are curious and want to be part of the change," Johnson said. "They buy in very quickly. What I want to do is help them understand the full picture and then spread the word. They can go out among the team and say, 'Hey, this is really straightforward ... here's what we're already doing.' Those voices carry a lot of weight with the people who are more resistant."
5. Know your blockers.
Just as important as identifying early adopters is recognizing those who will resist and preparing for it. Johnson recalled a colleague who reflexively opposed every change, no matter how beneficial.
"Every time a change came, she was immediately blocked," Johnson said. "But I knew that about her, so I would work closely with her — what I called handholding — to help her get comfortable. Within a couple of weeks, she was usually on board. Knowing who your blockers are ahead of time lets you plan your approach."
6. Lead by example from the top down.
Leadership behavior sends a louder message than any announcement. Johnson shared a story about an auditor who called out supervisors for stepping over pallet debris on a plant floor while she stopped to pick it up.
"The auditor told them: if you're not living, breathing and eating the concepts you want your team to follow, you'll never succeed," she said. "If you want your people to keep the floor clean, you have to do it too. It's that simple."
7. Use pilot programs to work out the kinks.
Rolling out a major change facility-wide before testing it is a recipe for problems. Johnson recommends starting small.
"When we introduced iPads on the production floor for maintenance documentation, we piloted it with one group first," she noted. "The feedback was immediate. People said it was so much better than keeping up with paperwork. By the time we rolled it out to other departments, we already had a team of advocates saying, 'Look how well this works.'"
8. Eliminate "but" from your vocabulary.
The words leaders use matter enormously. Johnson advises framing change in consistently positive terms and avoiding language that undermines momentum.
"'But' always stops the momentum," she said. "It signals to your team that maybe you're not fully bought in yourself. The message should always be: here's what we're going to do, here's how we're going to do it, and here's your role in it. That kind of framing keeps everyone moving in the same direction."
9. Set deadlines, celebrate wins, and be willing to restart.
Change efforts need a timeline, and achievements need to be recognized meaningfully. But when resistance is too deeply entrenched, starting over is sometimes the right call.
"Celebrate the wins loudly — not just with a pizza lunch, but make sure everyone knows this was a significant accomplishment," Johnson said. "And if you truly can't get buy-in, don't be afraid to step back and start over. Ask yourself what you didn't do right the first time. Starting over isn't failure, it's how you get it right."
10. Patience is the foundational soft skill.
Whether you're the one implementing change or the one receiving it, patience is the single most important quality to cultivate, Johnson said.
"Patience is really what it's about — the listening, the understanding," she said. "When that woman walked in with her arms crossed, it took about an hour before she unfolded. But I won her over because I was patient enough to wait for that moment. You have to hook them first, then teach and train. And the hook takes patience. You can't wait forever, but you do have to give people time to work through their emotions before the real learning can begin."
To see the entire Fireside Chat with Johnson, click here.
To see on-demand or upcoming Ask the Petfood Pro sessions, click here.
To learn more about or get involved with Women in Petfood Leadership, click here.
