Overcoming Resistance to Change - the second of our 3-part series on change. Exploring reasons why people resist change and what you can do to overcome them.
How do you get through all the
fear, doubt, noise, and obstacles to get from the “Land of Status Quo” to the
“Land of Positive Change/Rewards?” Your dreams, your goals, and your vision
have to be strong enough and deep enough to get you through it. You really have
to demonstrate the characteristics of a leader, don’t you?
As a LEADER, you need to understand why you and the people you work with may RESIST CHANGE and stay in the “Land of Status Quo.”
As a LEADER, you need to understand why you and the people you work with may RESIST CHANGE and stay in the “Land of Status Quo.”
Four Major Reasons People Resist Change:
FEAR. Fear is
internal; it’s in our head. There’s a saying that I am fond of, “Fear is the
great crippler of human potential.”
EGO. The need to be right is a powerful human need. It’s a common problem with leaders, managers, and business owners.
Avoiding CONFLICT. Because when you try to leave all the people back in the “Land of Status Quo,” you’ll create and get some conflict. It’s not fun, so many people just avoid it all together.
LACK OF PURPOSE. Without a sense of purpose, people become stagnant and complacent. People get burnt out.
EGO. The need to be right is a powerful human need. It’s a common problem with leaders, managers, and business owners.
Avoiding CONFLICT. Because when you try to leave all the people back in the “Land of Status Quo,” you’ll create and get some conflict. It’s not fun, so many people just avoid it all together.
LACK OF PURPOSE. Without a sense of purpose, people become stagnant and complacent. People get burnt out.
As a LEADER - of yourself and
others - you have to overcome your own fear and help others overcome theirs by
helping them change their mental attitudes that hold them back. You also have
to make sure that your EGO doesn’t get in the way. By being open to new and
different ways to view things, as well as being open to the feedback and
insights of others, you create an atmosphere where change is not an “I’m right
and your wrong” mentality. Of course, conflict is best handled through proper
communication. It sounds simple on the surface, but we all know that it’s not.
Finally, you have to develop a sense of purpose, for yourself, and your team.
What’s your vision? Is it something that everyone understands and has a stake
in?
Demonstrate your willingness and ability to change...
The first step to change is always the
most painful. To really get your employees to accept and embrace change, you
must first lead by example. That means that you must demonstrate your
willingness and ability to change. A powerful way to accomplish this is to do
the following. Ask your direct reports (and your boss) to list the top three
things that you could change to make you a more effective leader. Don’t accept
less than three answers, because it’s usually the third one that is the
important one. You must be open to the suggestions and work hard to show a
conscientious effort to change. Let’s face it, if you’re not willing to change,
how can you expect your people to be.
There is a story about a young man who, in the frontier days, was looking for a place to settle down. As he approached the outskirts of a small western town, he came across an elderly rancher and asked, “What kind of people live here?” “What kind of people did you find in the last place you lived?” asked the old man. “Oh, they were a selfish and unfriendly bunch,” replied the youth. “You’ll find the same here,” said the old man.
A few days later, another young traveler passed near the ranch and seeing the old man, he put the same question to him. “What kind of people live in this town?” Again, the old man replied with the question, “What kind of people were in the town from which you came?” The young man answered, “They were a good group of folks – honest, sincere and friendly. I was sorry to leave them.” “You’ll find the same here,” said the old man.
The rancher’s assistant, who had heard both conversations, questioned the old man. “How could you give two different answers to the same question to two different people?” “Son,” the old man answered, “everyone carries within himself the environment in which he lives. The one who found nothing good about his previous town will find the same here. The young man who found friends in his former town will find friends here.”
An amazing thing is that we cannot change other people, but when we begin to change the way we think about them…they will indeed change.
Mahatma-Gandhi said, “Let us become the change we seek in the world.”
Once you’ve looked at yourself, it’s time to focus on the organization. Your vision, your organization, and everyone in it need to embrace change. Failure to change is failure to succeed. Current strategies get old fast. Effective new strategies or the refinement of existing strategies will help you successfully compete today and tomorrow. The purpose of a new or refined strategy is to develop a different and/or better product or service.
THE GOOD NEWS…you don’t have to kill yourself to create change. You do have to do things differently. I encourage you to examine yourself, your attitudes, and your habits. Change starts with you. If you want to have a different result, if you want to be somebody else, change your mind.
In the concluding part of this series we will look at five proven techniques and strategies to Outperform and Outlast the Competition.
There is a story about a young man who, in the frontier days, was looking for a place to settle down. As he approached the outskirts of a small western town, he came across an elderly rancher and asked, “What kind of people live here?” “What kind of people did you find in the last place you lived?” asked the old man. “Oh, they were a selfish and unfriendly bunch,” replied the youth. “You’ll find the same here,” said the old man.
A few days later, another young traveler passed near the ranch and seeing the old man, he put the same question to him. “What kind of people live in this town?” Again, the old man replied with the question, “What kind of people were in the town from which you came?” The young man answered, “They were a good group of folks – honest, sincere and friendly. I was sorry to leave them.” “You’ll find the same here,” said the old man.
The rancher’s assistant, who had heard both conversations, questioned the old man. “How could you give two different answers to the same question to two different people?” “Son,” the old man answered, “everyone carries within himself the environment in which he lives. The one who found nothing good about his previous town will find the same here. The young man who found friends in his former town will find friends here.”
An amazing thing is that we cannot change other people, but when we begin to change the way we think about them…they will indeed change.
Mahatma-Gandhi said, “Let us become the change we seek in the world.”
Once you’ve looked at yourself, it’s time to focus on the organization. Your vision, your organization, and everyone in it need to embrace change. Failure to change is failure to succeed. Current strategies get old fast. Effective new strategies or the refinement of existing strategies will help you successfully compete today and tomorrow. The purpose of a new or refined strategy is to develop a different and/or better product or service.
THE GOOD NEWS…you don’t have to kill yourself to create change. You do have to do things differently. I encourage you to examine yourself, your attitudes, and your habits. Change starts with you. If you want to have a different result, if you want to be somebody else, change your mind.
In the concluding part of this series we will look at five proven techniques and strategies to Outperform and Outlast the Competition.
