Before you change the process, you need to support the people.
Admissions work has always been personal. It has always relied on relationships, intuition, and trust between schools and families, as well as within admissions teams themselves. For decades, experienced professionals have guided families through school choice with care, warmth, and deep institutional knowledge, and for a long time, that approach worked.
But modern admissions asks more.
Not because teams have fallen short, not because they aren’t working hard, but because the environment around them has changed, and the work has expanded.
Today’s admissions teams are navigating new systems, new expectations, and closer coordination with marketing. They’re being asked to deliver experiences that feel seamless, personalized, and responsive—often while holding onto practices that once defined success.
That’s where tension emerges, and contrary to how it’s often labeled, that tension isn’t always about resistance; it’s about confidence.
When Change Feels Personal
Many admissions teams are made up of deeply committed professionals who have done good work for a long time—they know their school, they care about families, and they take pride in the relationships they build.
So when conversations shift toward online scheduling, automated reminders, more tailored tours, or tighter alignment with marketing, what teams often hear isn’t: “This will support your work.”
They hear: “What you’ve been doing isn’t enough anymore.”
Even when that’s not the intention.
Change can quietly shake confidence,especially when long-standing expertise feels questioned or when new processes are introduced without shared language or context. Teams may worry about losing the human parts of the job that matter most: connection, intuition, and trust.
This is where many well-intentioned modernization efforts stall.
Why Process Alone Isn’t Enough
It’s tempting to focus on tools and tactics first—new CRMs, updated workflows, and automation that promises efficiency and scale.
But process change is the visible work, and people support is the foundational work beneath it.
When teams don’t understand why admissions is evolving—or how new systems are meant to support (not replace) their strengths—progress slows. Even the best-designed strategies struggle to take hold.
Successful admissions evolution depends on more than implementation; it depends on culture.
Culture is shaped by the messages teams receive, explicitly and implicitly:
- Is our experience and judgment still trusted?
- Are we being asked to grow—or to start over?
- Do leadership and marketing understand the realities of our work?
Without clarity, reassurance, and alignment, change can feel imposed rather than shared.
Leading the Shift Together
Modern admissions doesn’t require teams to abandon what made them effective. It asks them to expand it.
That expansion works best when:
- Teams are given shared language for what’s changing and why
- New processes are framed as support, not correction
- Marketing and admissions operate as true partners, not parallel functions
- Leadership visibly reinforces that this work matters—and that the people doing it matter, too
When people feel supported, change feels possible. When they feel respected, confidence grows. And when confidence grows, teams are far more willing to experiment, adapt, and move forward together.
When the Team Is Struggling to Move
Even with shared language, thoughtful framing, and visible leadership support, some teams will still struggle to move forward. That doesn’t automatically mean anyone is doing something wrong, but it does mean the work needs to shift from explaining the change to actively leading through it. At this stage, progress depends less on persuasion and more on clarity.
Leaders who navigate this moment well tend to focus on a few key moves:
- Slow the conversation down before speeding the work up: Instead of pushing harder on process, create space to surface what’s underneath the resistance—concerns about confidence, fear of losing autonomy, or uncertainty about expectations. Naming those concerns directly often reduces their power.
- Separate values from methods: Teams don’t need to agree on every tool to agree on what matters. Leaders who help teams distinguish between core values (relationships, trust, judgment) and evolving methods (systems, workflows, automation) make it easier to experiment without feeling like something essential is being taken away.
- Make expectations explicit—and consistent: Change stalls when expectations feel optional or uneven. Clear timelines, defined roles, and shared accountability help teams understand that evolution isn’t a personal critique—it’s a professional expectation tied to the school’s mission.
- Support publicly and course-correct privately: Nothing undermines change faster than mixed signals. When leaders affirm the direction openly and address misalignment directly—but respectfully—teams are more likely to trust both the process and the people leading it.
- When needed, acknowledge limits: Not every tension can be resolved through dialogue alone. When resistance becomes persistent and begins to impact progress, leaders may need to make decisions that prioritize the work over individual preference—while still treating people with dignity and respect.
This is the hardest part of admissions change, and it’s also the most important. When leadership is willing to hold both empathy and responsibility at the same time, teams may not agree with every decision—but they are far more likely to move forward together.
When Support Isn’t Enough
TThis isn’t about urgency. It’s about intention.
Of course, there are moments when even thoughtful leadership, clear communication, and genuine support aren’t enough. Not every resistance is rooted in uncertainty or fear—sometimes it is a choice not to adapt. And while empathy should always come first, progress cannot be held indefinitely. Admissions exists in service of families, students, and the long-term health of the school, not individual comfort alone. When sustained resistance begins to stall momentum, clarity and accountability become just as important as care. Supporting people matters—but so does moving the work forward.
The Hat Trick: 3 Key Takeaways
Process change can be hard. People change is harder.
If your admissions strategy isn’t gaining traction, look beyond the tools. Ask whether your team feels supported, understood, and included in the evolution.
Confidence, not capability, is often what’s at stake.
Long-standing need reassurance that their experience still matters, and clarity about how new expectations build on what they already do well.
Alignment turns modernization into momentum.
When admissions, marketing, and leadership share language, goals, and trust, change feels collaborative instead of corrective—and progress follows.
Navigating admissions change isn’t easy—and you don’t have to do it alone.
If your team is working through shifts in mindset, process, or alignment, we help schools move forward thoughtfully, without losing trust, confidence, or momentum.
Sometimes a conversation is the most helpful next step. We’re here when you’re ready.
