Think about your day. How much of it looks like the day before or two weeks ago? We truly are creatures of habit, often more than we’d like to admit.
Now think about a change you’ve tried lately. If you love change, maybe it was something major like a new relationship or a new place to live. If change isn’t really your game, maybe it was a new restaurant for dinner or a new way home because of road construction.
Sometimes change is forced upon us and we must react. This often causes us the most stress, especially for those of us that like to be in control. Other times, we get to make the change ourselves. We see a new opportunity and we seek it out. This often causes adventure or new experience which may lead to something else we never thought would result.
That’s a fun thought process for a minute. Think about the series of events that lead to a major change in your life. Like a new significant relationship, or a new job, a new child or a new living arrangement. It truly is a result of small steps that if aligned (even slightly differently) would have resulted in something unrecognizable today.
I’m preparing to lead my Davenport U. students through a change management class in another month. This topic, of change management, is in many of my thought processes as I help my students understand how to guide employees through change. And the reality is that change happens frequently. It is much more the norm than the exception in today’s world. So, embrace and love it or endure and hate it.
As I often tell my kids: go into things with an open heart and an open mind and you’ll be amazed at the experiences you’ll have.
Here are a couple of ideas to consider when you face change:
1. Think about the “not change” impact. Change is often necessary and less negative than doing the same things the same way. Remember the definition of insanity.
2. Think about how you would have approached this opportunity (I’ll call it that) when you were seven-years-old. Do you think you would have had as much resistance to it as you do today, or might you have approached it with a tootsie pop and said “bring it on!” Why not approach the change like this now?
3. Think about a new way of approaching change. A technique I use with my Davenport U. students is called “plusses, potentials and concerns.” Instead of automatically looking at what won’t work(when a change is involved), you look at the good points to the change, then the additional benefits that might result and finally the concerns you have.
I believe that we all accept change is necessary in the world of business today. And in our industry of technology, this really holds true. I love how our Mindscape team incorporates our team members’ opinions in how to handle change. This builds in a sense of accountability and trust.
So, the next time you face a change, face it with a changed approach. Try the long way home from work today. Maybe a change of scenary and a longer time for mindless thinking in the car will help solidify some good ideas. Whether or not the change nets something positive for you, maybe the experience along the way will!
