RESISTING CHANGE CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR BUSINESS

If you ask someone how easy it is to change you might get several different answers. For the stalwarts out there you will hear loud and clear, “I don’t like change.” Others will tell you that change is good and that they like change but in many causes they might subtlety resist change in themselves while advocating it in others.

I have a question for you. Has anything is your business changed in the last several years? I would be surprised if you answered no. Many industries, professions, and jobs have been literally turned upside down. Those who have survived did so because they had learned to do things differently. As you have heard, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

If that is the case, why do people resist change? Why do people continue to do the same things and expect to get a different result?

I would like to suggest four reasons. As as leaders in business, we need to understand why we and the people who work for us may RESIST CHANGE and stay in the “Land of Status Quo.”

Here are four reasons:

The first people resist change is FEAR. Fear is internal; it’s in our head. Fear is the great crippler of human potential. There’s also an acronym that uses the letters F, E, A, and R that defines what fear is.

·         F – false

·         E – emotions

·         A – appearing

·         R – real

The second reason people resist change is because of EGO. The need to be right is a powerful human need. It’s a common problem with leaders, managers, and business owners. When was the last time you have heard someone so, “Well this is the way we have always done it”

The third reason why people resist change is to avoid CONFLICT. When you try to leave all the people back in their comfort zone called the “Land of Status Quo,” you’ll create and get some conflict. It’s not comfortable and it is not fun, so many people just avoid it all together.

The fourth reason that people resist change is LACK OF PURPOSE. Without a sense of purpose, people become stagnant and complacent. People get burnt out.

As a leader of yourself and others, you will need to overcome your own fear and help others overcome theirs by helping them change their mental attitudes that hold them back. You also have to make sure that your EGO doesn’t get in the way.

By being open to new and different ways to view things, as well as being open to the feedback and insights of others, you create an atmosphere where change is not an “I’m right and your wrong mentality.

In the short book, “Who Moved My Cheese”, a story is told of four characters who deal with change and loss. It illustrates that change is not about knowledge and skills but attitudes and behaviors and above all, conquering our fears. In the book cheese stands for what we define as success.

Remember; keep checking the condition of your cheese. Don't wait until it disappears or gets bad. Keep searching. Success is a journey not a destination.

Check here for more information on how we help cope with change.