Change is inevitable. And I don’t mean the change that will inevitably fill up your pockets when you break bills. It’s a commonly feared thing by most people. It means something is going to be different, it means there will be work involved in order to adapt, and it means getting out of your comfort zone. The funny thing is, all of these reasons for fearing change are really ridiculous when you break them down, because essentially they are all GOOD things!
The great thing about change is that it creates new possibilities for growth. By being pushed out of your comfort zone, it forces you to open your mind to new options that otherwise would be squashed at the thought. And by opening up your mind to these new possibilities, it opens up more doors.
However, most people are not initially open to the idea of change. Change can be scary and uncomfortable. In Dominic Slow’s article on EzineArticles titled 3 Tips For Managing Change In The Workplace , he explains how to invite new changes into your office in a way that comes across as beneficial to all of those involved. Dominic’s first tip is about communicating effectively to your team and putting yourself in their shoes so you can answer questions that people will have ahead of time in order to reassure them.
His second tip is to involve everyone so that they understand the need and benefits for change. By understanding the need for change it makes it easier for people to wrap their head around why it can be a good thing, and ease them to warm up to the idea.
Finally, Domonic’s third tip is to explain the emotional reasons for change, rather than just logical reasons. The resistance to change is generated from an emotional base. Dominic advices to “engage both the hearts and minds of your team” to create an excitement about the change.
I’ve talked to a lot of Daylite customers that were a bit iffy about changing software as it always takes a while to get used to at first. But since Daylite is so intuitive, they’ve easily adapted and now can’t imagine living without it!
When you’re forced to adapt, you learn new skills. You also learn more about yourself and your abilities that you may have otherwise not even known about! You won’t know if you’re good at something until you try and sometimes it take a push to get you to try!
