I like change!
I like to try different ways of doing things and taking on new challenges. They don’t have to be major changes, sometimes they may just be subtle, however, my philosophy generally is ‘Change Is Good!’
I recently decided change my hair and have something different. Apparently “a change is as good as a rest”?! So, I got it cut short (having sworn I’d never do that again!) and put some major blonde and red colour through it! One of my friends said I had #hairbravery and I really like that! However, let’s face it, if I don’t like it (and I do), I can grow it back and I can dye it again – I don’t have to spend the rest of my life looking the same!
So, this got me to thinking about our attitude to change in the workplace. I have been working with a number of employers and key clients on this very subject. When organisations and companies, big or small, start to undergo any form of restructuring, streamlining or growth the one word everyone appears to dread is ‘CHANGE’.
So why do we fear change?
We all live in a world of constant and continual change and therefore it is a part of our daily lives. However, when it comes to the work place we tend not to like it. We start to become suspicious, not only of the change itself, but the management team making the change and even our own colleagues. The rumour mill starts to kick in and suddenly it’s a free-for-all for speculation and those ‘Chinese whispers’ (we’ve all been there!)
Some people become more vocal and resistant to change whilst others seem to become more introverted and withdraw from it altogether. If it isn’t handled well the negativity formed through bad communication can be devastating!
We all have a natural ‘fear of the unknown’. If we don’t understand why the change is happening, what the effects will be on the organisation, the department and more importantly on us as an individual, we will fill those gaps of information with negative thoughts. We will rarely assume the best or automatically be positive. Our nature is to be suspicious and retain the status quo. If something threatens that, well, we tend to come out fighting!
So, how can we react better to change and make it a more positive experience?
Firstly, assess the facts and what you actually know, not what you assume, what others have said or what you think may or may not happen.
Change is more often than not a GOOD THING. It brings about new opportunities and ventures, better ways or working, future prospects and progress. It creates a new status quo.
Consider, how can you embrace this change to make it a positive action in your life? Get involved and join in so you are part of it and feel you have some control and contribute to it positively.
Remember, if you don’t agree with it and don’t like it nothing is stopping you from making your own changes to deal with it.
Don’t let change be done TO you – make sure you are part of the change – embrace it and learn to like it!
#lovechange #bepositive #hairbravery
