Change

Change is truly inevitable to stay relevant and accessible.  Change is also hard for a lot of people.  Sometimes, it’s compounded by lack of care or strategy by those leading change.  I once left a job that demanded change.  Their prerogative to do so, and the change was such a disaster, there was going to be months – if not years – of recovery because of a failure to lead appropriately through change.  I didn’t mind the changes (in theory) they were demanding, provided the organization was honest about why we were doing them (they weren’t) and did not conflate compliance with “better” (they obviously did and failed to understand the nuance and why it mattered). 

It’s important to define and adjust our relationship to change so we can manage our responses accordingly.  One question to ask ourselves about change is “How do I relate to change?”  Our relationship to change defines our responses to it and what we get from responding in those ways.  The next question to ask ourselves is “What do I get – what does my kinky little gremlin get – from relating to change that way?”  The story we tell ourselves serves a purpose to our psyche…maybe it’s satisfaction.  Maybe it’s fear and resistance.  Maybe it’s proving we were right all along.  Whatever the story, we are giving ourselves information to process change and our response.  That story is often what drives our response to change.  That story may not be the same in all instances.  It’s important to be aware of what story we’re telling ourselves where as it relates to change so that we can adjust our response accordingly should we decide to do so.

Our response to change says a lot about us.  Some of us cannot thrive without the potential chaos that change often brings.  I personally find that exhausting, but I have found myself in that situation in the past.  Some of us resist all change no matter what because we love our comfort zone and the status quo so much.  I personally find this irritating, though I do understand this response due to my own love for comfort.  I have a lot of compassion for these individuals.  They may require a lot of hand holding to move through change.  They may require a change of scenery when change comes their way.  It can be helpful to determine who is who in your organization or life when change comes a-calling; it’s challenging enough to manage change on oneself, let alone the others in tow.  When we lead others in an organization, we don’t have a choice.  When we lead families, we don’t have a choice.  Let me rephrase – there are always choices.  Sometimes the choices suck, but there are always choices.  You can choose not to lead change – that in itself is a decision about change that I would encourage you to pursue with some reflection…the change IS coming with or without you.  As the Borg would say, “Resistance is futile”.  (Okay…I nerded out for a minute…thank you for your appreciation.  Coaching hat back on.)  Resistance may be futile AND leading others through change is just as critical as noticing our response to it – others are watching us and our response, especially if we’re in leadership of any sort. 

One of the pieces to change is being clear on values and commitments.  When you are clear on values and commitments, you make decisions based on those more often than feelings and fads.  This is true from an organizational standpoint as well as a personal standpoint and leadership standpoint.  Another is ensuring that you have the necessary skills to navigate the change coming down the pipeline.  If not, are you prepared to obtain them?  If you are not, are you the right person to lead the change?  Are you going to be prepared to arrive on the other side of the change, whether it’s organizationally or personally?  The third piece is honesty.  Yes, there are times when honesty and transparency are challenging and are not fully appropriate.  And, I would encourage you to consider that honesty and transparency within an organization and within your life is going to be more well-received than secret meetings and rumors.  You, then, get to control the narrative and get ahead of some of the chaos that change can bring.  Finally, as much as I enjoy doing so myself, flying by the seat of your pants is often less than optimal when navigating change.  It’s very reactive.  Having an actual action plan for navigating the change that is flexible and resilient when change throws the inevitable curveball can be a critical factor in success.  The action plan details not only what is happening, but deadlines, incentives, and resources needed to accomplish the plan.  It sets forth the next steps for reaching the next milestone.  It’s helpful to write this down, too.  It sounds kind of silly to do for personal life changes, less so for business and organizational change, and you will find it to make an incredible difference across the board to have a written plan.

Now, I spent this entire post using the word “change”.  I actually hate the word “change”.  There.  I said it.  And it’s not because I find change challenging sometimes (I know I’m not the only one…)  Change has become a buzzword, both in business and life.  I dislike the word so much that, when delving into one of my stories I tell myself about change, I rewrote the story without the word altogether!  The story I now tell myself is that “Transformation is continual and brings new life.”  Change or transformation or whatever you want to call it will sneak up on you and smack you in the face.  Or, you can stay aware and open to what is coming your way (yes…sometimes it strikes out of nowhere) and choose to respond well.  There are always times when we react instead of respond.  The important thing is not the reaction but how we correct ourselves when the reaction is less than what we would have wanted for ourselves and others. 

The older I get, the more I realize that change doesn’t have to suck – it can be managed well and satisfactorily.  How I show up makes all the difference.  How do you want to show up in the face of change today?