How Well Do You React To Change?

Unexpected Change

Interesting article by Doug Smith. Here are several of the points of the article.




Time after time, changes occur that I can't control and wouldn't have asked for, but that also don't amount to the end of the world. It's often a new direction, often a re-charged effort, usually a source of considerable stress, but you know what? It's also been a great source of growth.

We could talk about this for hours, but for now, here's what I've learned about unexpected change.

Stay the course
As long as we know what our personal mission is--our reason for being, (not the company's) we can manage unexpected change. It may be a strategic moment, a time for big decisions, but if we stay the course, it helps with those big decisions.

Identify what you can influence
If you control it, then you decide. If you can influence the outcome, then you can have an impact and maybe the change won't happen because of your influence. Or, maybe during the thinking process you see how the change is the right thing to do (regardless how discomforting) and use your influence to help others with the change. It is important to identify exactly what you can influence and operate from there.
If you can neither control the change, nor influence the change, it may sound harsh, but here's the tip: get over it. Complaining won't stop something you don't have influence over, and it might poison the waters of your future success.

Influence carefully
What if you can influence the change? It's worth carefully examining the thinking behind the change before deciding whether or not to resist. If you stop a change that's needed, it will inevitably occur anyway--and by then you may have lost your ability to influence or benefit from the change.

Treat people with respect
Sometimes we strongly disagree. There have been many times when I felt like a pawn in a massive chess game that I had no influence over. Even in those times there have been people willing to listen, willing to help, and working to make the change a positive one.

Sometimes, the changes that I resented the most eventually benefited me the most. If I'd trashed the people trying to manage me through those changes, it would have been bad for them, but far worse for me.

Even when we're struggling, we should treat each other with respect, and listen. It's a small world. We'll need to work with each other again. That doesn't mean leaping off the edge of a cliff or acting cult like without using our brains, but it does mean to honor those around us who are dealing with their own struggles.

Anticipate Change
The toughest part about unexpected change is the unexpected part. We don't like to be surprised. But, how much of that surprise factor can we personally mitigate?

If we're paying attention, if we're watching the trends, the competition, the customer…change--or the need for change-- reveals itself before it occurs. It telegraphs its movement. It gives itself away.

By anticipating--and even driving, change, the surprise factor is not only easier to deal with, it's seldom a surprise at all.