Recently I was speaking with the office manager of a
midsized company who was struggling to get her staff to be more creative. She wanted to get her staff to start thinking out of
the box but didn't know where to begin.
She described how she would
model changing she wanted to see in their behavior, provide training to increase their options, however,
these steps didn't show how to actually address changing their minds. She needed concrete strategies to change her own thinking so she could suggest them for her
staff. In our discussions three strategies emerged that created the results she was looking for, and maybe useful for you.
#1. Develop a
tolerance for change. All change
creates discomfort. The bigger the
change, the more likely you will notice the discomfort. Develop a tolerance to small changes.
The more you become accustom to changing, the better you tend to accept it. The more comfortable you are with the change, the easier
you'll embrace it. Once accustom to
changing small things, you can begin to increase your tolerance by engaging in larger
changes. Consider making small
changes in your external environment first. Since changing your environment is far easier than changing
your mind. Start with small
external changes by considering altering your routines. Often we follow routines without even
realizing we are doing them. Changing not only builds tolerance, it also
increases our awareness.
Most highly effective changes occur in small increments over
time. The weight I gained
didn't happen this week. It
happened over time, until suddenly I realized it was there! Small changes over time can create a
major difference. If change occurs
too fast, we tend to rebel. Try to commit to staying with the change for at
least four weeks before considering putting things back or rearranging
again.
#2. Advise
before you revise. Before making
changes, let those who will be impacted by the changes know about the changes
to occur. Advance notice alerts
you to what is going to happen and gets you ready for it. No one likes to be alarmed. Alarms frighten people. When we are frightened we shut down. Let
those interested assist you in making them. Inviting others to take part in the change lessens the
reaction to the proposed changes and allows for others to buy in. This is
true not only at work, but also at home.
#3. If you ask
for help, accept it. Nothing shuts
down input faster than asking for it, then ignoring or rejecting it. If you are not going to seriously
consider others input, don't ask.
Asking for ideas, help, or input and ignoring it is like buying noodles for
your lasagna and not including them.
Everybody quickly knows that something important is missing!
At home consider making small changes by rearranging some
aspects of your kitchen, living room, or bedroom. If you live with someone ask for their help and suggestions
on how it could be done. Changes
don't need to be major. Remember
you are working to develop tolerance, not create chaos. Start small and work your way up to
larger changes. At work, visit
other work areas to see what others have done. Rearranging things on your desk, the furniture in your
office, enlist others help in rearranging seating for meetings or in common
sitting and meeting areas. By bringing
others in you involve them as part of the change. This provides them ownership and a sense of control of their
surroundings. This relaxes our
senses, allowing the idea of improvement through periodic change to begin to positively
infect those around you. Make sure the change is positive and worth
catching!
Change takes getting use to. The toughest change however, will be changing your mind. Look for that in our next newsletter.
Be well!
John
***If you are interested in increasing your effectiveness to achieve
better outcomes, please contact us today at [email protected]***
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