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Greetings!
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What are your plans for the summer? Are you headed out of town? Or are you taking a "staycation"? If you're staying in town, what is your favorite place to visit?
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| Embracing CHANGE
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"Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others." - Jacob M. Braude
Have you ever been in a situation where things changed and
you had to adjust? It may have been a time when you fought the change, or
perhaps one when you welcomed the change. In either case, now that the change
has happened, you have to adjust.
People stay with what's comfortable
There is a natural inclination, I think, for people to feel
more comfortable with what they are used to. The old way of doing things might
not even be healthy for us, but we fight the change. Sometimes it is simply
habit that causes us to cling to an old way of doing things. Trying to change
to healthier eating or increased exercise are perfect examples of this type of
resistance. But there are times when it's not just habit. We are actually more
comfortable with the way things are.
Change is easier when you aren't happy
I bought a new bed about ten days ago. I have had a waterbed
for almost 25 years. I've been having trouble sleeping and have not been able
to sleep on my side for the last few months. After a great deal of research and
help from a friend who sells beds, Linna Lette (210-630-3313, at Factory Mattress across
from the Forum), I bought a Tempur-Pedic ®. This mattress is very different and
considerably firmer than the waterbed. Linna warned me that it might take
awhile for my body to adjust to it.
In this case, there is no habit to overcome. The waterbed
was moved out and the new bed was moved in. I've actually found the
adjustment easy and am already sleeping more soundly. But it occurred to me
that adjusting to change in the workplace is much like adjusting to a new
mattress.
Team members must buy-in
For change to be accepted, the promised change needs to bring improved
conditions for your team. For instance, if sales are falling off because of
poor customer service, but your team has no incentive to improve (no profit
sharing or other rewards), you will have a difficult time impressing on your
team that better customer service will help them. They have no reason to be
dissatisfied unless they have buy-in to the success of the company.
Education of your team is key. If you are not informing the team of the
reasons for the change, they may not see the need. How many times have you
heard, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? This statement is common
when team members are satisfied with things the way they are, even if a change
could make their work easier or more productive.
Find the benefit for the team
To sell the change, you have to find a benefit that your team wants,
not just a benefit to the company. In this economy, that may be as simple as a
reduced possibility of layoffs. Be prepared, though, as the economy improves,
to find additional benefits for your team to keep the members who have stuck
out the hard times with you. People are motivated by different things, so a
good team leader will find ways to reward employees that are significant to the
individual team members.
Let your team know about the benefits and the adjustment might be
easier than you thought. If the change is an improvement that will make life
better for your team, you may find less resistance than you expected. Just like
me and my bed...zzzzzzz. |
