Volume XXI, Number 17 (Issue 1021) April 24, 2023
Eight Questions Chapter Six – Part 1 Change Management – Championing Change
Change happens. If there is a single doubt in your mind about the inevitability of change, look no further than… old photos of yourself, the nature of your work and relationships, the vagaries of the economy, shifting demographics, environmental extremes, nascent political issues, or _____________ (I will let you fill in the blank).
The key difference between those who thrive and those who merely survive or ultimately perish amid change is rooted in one’s attitude. Do you welcome and embrace change, or do you dread and resist it with all your might? As the creatures of habit that we are, change – particularly when it impacts our routine – can be annoying. For those who like to plan, i.e., plan your day, week, month, career, life, etc., unanticipated change can be irritating, frustrating, and above all, unwelcome. Free spirits, on the other hand, relish the novel and unexpected. No one who has ever met me has mistaken me for a free spirit. Yet, much of my career success is the result of my willingness to learn, adapt, and shift my thinking and focus.
Perhaps your views when it comes to change are “it depends.” If the change is one you perceive as improving your lot in life, that can be accomplished easily, and/or is fundamentally your idea, then bring it on. However, if you see the change as making things worse, as carrying undue risk, requiring a lot of work or personal sacrifice, or is one where you had neither voice nor vote, the odds are you will struggle to get onboard.
In the end, our attitudes toward change have a lot to do with our relative position in the change cycle. If it is our idea, woohoo! If we are consulted, have voice and vote in shaping the change, then it usually isn’t too hard to get behind it. But cross that boundary to a place where we have neither voice nor vote and our attitudes shift – a lot! That is especially true if we are told to make the change without reasonable explanation of why.
Another factor in our views on any given change involves the time we have to digest and prepare. Face it, given the frenetic pace of most of our lives, much of the time we lack the time to physically, let alone mentally, prepare for all the change that comes our way. It is an issue of bandwidth if nothing else. Nonetheless, change
must be dealt with while we also attend to the numerous other tasks awaiting our attention. Think about it this way: we are not the only ones who lack one or more of the resources we need to do all that we would like and/or are asked to do. Add in things we don’t relish and … Change and its best friend, effective change management, are therefore time management problems too.
That being the case, perhaps we must approach much of what we do by asking: Is what we are doing necessary?
Must it be done now?
Must we do it or can someone else?
Must it be done this way?
Having thus brought us full circle when the subject is change and its relentless march, what we need now is a more effective means to facilitate change both for ourselves and others. So, that is where we will begin next week.
Soli Deo Gloria
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Web site: www.jkeithhughey.com
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Copyright 2023 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. The entire early library of Monday Morning Musings issues may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are welcome and encouraged.