Change. I never knew it could be viewed as such a bad 6-letter word. I spoke last year about Lean and Six Sigma, and how they are viewed very differently depending on those involved. Beyond the Continuous Improvement aspect, there has been a lot written over the last decade regarding change management and how to influence the culture (and maybe beliefs) of an organization. I don’t view this as a bad thing, but the question often in my mind is: “Why has it become so necessary to get people thinking the same way towards change?”
I can be a simple person at times. Why doesn’t everyone want their company to be more successful, growth-oriented, and a great place to work? Yes, it comes at the expense of change, as the world around us, including ourselves, is always changing (some call it aging). Now I’m not naive enough to think everyone comes to work with a smile on their face all the time, or thinks every aspect of their job is great, but isn’t there a need for a fundamental belief and enjoyment in the work you’re doing? If not…….
Change impacts everyone. People will need new skills, have new tasks to do, work new shifts, new co-workers, new equipment, and yes, potentially in some cases, the “fit” or need won’t be there. I don’t view that entirely as a bad thing. In part, it’s called self-development, and it helps me/you as the individual, as much as the company, learn more about ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses, what we enjoy, what we dislike or avoid (our own personal SWOT map). It should help us pave the road for even better opportunities.
For the Silent Generation (pre-Baby Boomers), it was common for people to have one or two jobs their entire career, and maybe successive generations grew up believing that would always be the case (who didn’t want to emulate their parents at a young age). The reality is people now, on average, have 12 jobs over the course of their career (I’m at 16, but who’s counting). I don’t see that trend changing in the future.
Early in my IT career, a colleague and I challenged each other to automate as many back-end office processes as we could, to reduce labor costs in another department. We weren’t doing this to be mean or to cause people to lose their jobs, but realized it was non-value-add to them and the company; repetitive, highly manual, prone to error. They were receptive to what we were doing as they knew more manual work would be coming down the pipeline, and we couldn’t keep up with everything (so more open because they perceived job security). They were right. 🙂 He and I even talked about an “ideal” end state of putting ourselves out of work because we automated everything that could be (yes, we were young and foolish back then). And we weren’t intimidated by that risk. We knew other opportunities would exist since we had the drive, knowledge, interpersonal skills, and willingness/flexibility to do what it took to make companies better; helping the company be more successful made us more successful, no? Even if it meant more success elsewhere. This train of thought *seems* the exception to the rule with most of today’s workers, although the younger generations (Millennials in particular) and newer Tech and Disruptive companies seem to strike the right balance.
Why the resistance to change? Is it fear? Insecurity? Self-doubt? Complacency? It’s likely different for each one of us. My belief is that change makes us better in the long run. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It challenges us to think/do things we otherwise wouldn’t try. And in a work environment, as much as at home, why not? Who remembers the 1st time getting on an airplane to travel? Going to a new school. Getting up to sing karaoke. Trying a new sport/activity. Saying hello to someone you want to meet. Scared and nervous? Maybe. Can we look back and say we’re better off for doing it than not even trying? Absolutely. Even if the result wasn’t as expected, there was fantastic self-development along the way.
It should be exactly the same at work. Have confidence and courage in yourself (those are the starting points)! Try something new; start small and involve others. Encourage your co-workers to do the same. Then try something different the next day/week, and so on. Create an environment of trying new things and leading change. You’ll gain more confidence and attract more positive energy (and people) by trying new things. It will get attention. And if your path leads you elsewhere, consider it another destination on your journey (maybe scary, but likely worth the trip). The more the merrier, I say.
Darren