We all know that change is hard, more for some than others. But if we want to make progress then we need to make changes - there is no way around that. The good news is that change does not have to be unnecessarily painful. A bit of planning and lots of clarity can bring a positive synergy to change—even the tough stuff.
This is a great question. One tried and true indicator is continuously hitting obstacles when you're trying to move forward. Consider what happens when you're driving and you come to a dead end; you have to back up a bit and find a new road to your destination. The same applies while trying to navigate something in your workflow to move a task or concept forward.
Being proactive and staying in touch with this concept will organically lead you into making a change. The pandemic is a great example of something unexpected that forced us all to make changes. Everything as we knew it shifted and we had to find new ways to do the things that needed to be done. In fact, many businesses transformed overnight and the ability to keep up was suddenly at risk. Structures in place changed in order to be sustainable moving forward. We all made changes. This is only one fresh example of how we all fell into the need to change.
I think we miss an opportunity when we don’t discuss change readiness and change management with the folks on our teams. Both of these concepts give us a framework that we can call on and use anytime we need to make or build on change.
Change readiness is our individual ability to embrace and move through changes. Some folks have a high tolerance for change. Others do not. Understanding this is the first step in learning and growing in our ability to accept and manage change. It's a big deal, and everyone being aware of their own change readiness threshold gives us grace for each other when we are moving through changes. Understanding the team is key to successful change.
Change Management makes sure that we have all that we need, communicate all that needs communicated, and value the progress from beginning to end when we are working through changes—especially big ones that impact entire groups of people in an organization. We are only as successful as our planning and readiness to lead and move through change.
Our culture has a big part in how we work through changes. Are we healthy or not? Do we care for the people that are not only making the changes, but are impacted by the changes? Have we given clarity and thought to all of the elements and impacts that are connected to the change we are making? These are all key ingredients for a more efficient and effective change management process, which sets everyone up for better success.
We have so much opportunity when we equip and empower people to change and grow. Organizations and businesses that do this well are proactively changing to make things better ongoing. People embrace and want to foster change for something better over and over. It is possible to develop people that are responsible change agents allowing for things to continue getting better, more efficient, and in the end, growing for what is next. I often say that attitude is everything. Fostering good and open attitudes is a key component for ongoing and successful change. Try it! You may just be surprised what happens when folks start embracing change and change management concepts.
It revolutionized us as a team and company. Recently I’ve started coaching other businesses to build change management and strategies for big and little changes. It starts with your people.
If you are wondering if it's time for change (or you know it is and are not sure where to get started), contact us for an assessment meeting to see how we can support you and your team with a successful change management strategy.
Having a good framework and tools to mitigate the process is only part of the battle. Understanding the ‘why’ for the change and having effective people ready and supported to lead the change is key for a successful change management journey ongoing. I would love to speak with you more about the value and necessity for a change management plan and how you can build a team of change-ready people to take on what’s next in an ever-changing workplace environment.