Changing Change

Change is uncomfortable. It's not what we're accustomed to experiencing. Typically, the process of change doesn't "feel" good. Now, sometimes it feels good to know we're doing something that's outside of our norm and for our best, but usually, we don't enjoy the product of change until we're reaping the hard-earned rewards of our work - which happens after we've endured the process of change.

People are reluctant to change - not because they don't believe there might be a better way, but because the process of getting to where they want to be - feels all too unfamiliar. So, they turn back - they go back to what they know - they return to routine.

If you've read any of my articles before, you know by now that I'm fascinated by change-management concepts. I'm intrigued by human behavior, especially as it intersects (and sometimes interferes) with our professional lives. How do we stop doing what isn't working and start doing what would help us become successful?

Albert Einstein has one of my favorite quotes related to change: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." In this statement, it seems so simple. If you don't like what you're getting out of what you're currently doing - DO something different. If what you're currently doing is causing you problems - DO something different.

It's all in our actions. We can want change. We can believe in it. And we can even see it in others - but, when it comes to our own lives, we can't change - until we do something different.

So, at what point do we decide we're going to become comfortable enough with the discomfort change brings, just so that someday, we're comfortable with where change has brought us? If you think I'm walking around you in word circles, I'm not trying to. Read that again, until it sinks in.

I think it comes back to my original statement: change is uncomfortable. Why are we so uncomfortable with change? Why do we prefer things to be the way they are - even if we know the way they are, isn't for the best? It's ironic that we want things to be different - which is why we're hoping and gearing up for change. Yet, we're unwilling to do what it takes to make them different. We're unwilling to give up the old - to get the new.

This article is intended to only ask you this one question: WHAT WOULD BE WORTH IT - FOR YOU TO TRANSFORM YOUR "WANT" TO CHANGE into a "WILL" TO CHANGE? Until you answer that question, you'll keep running yourself in useless circles: getting nowhere, staying frustrated and experiencing the same ol', same ol'. Yes, you'll be comfortable - but sooner or later, you'll become uncomfortable with how long it's taken for you to change.

Want to read more from Doug about change management? Check out his blog at http://wcwpartners.com/category/organizational-change/.

Doug C. Watsabaugh, senior partner at WCW Partners, understands how to meet your unique performance challenges. With more than 20 years of experience, WCW Partners is a performance-improvement company that helps businesses revitalize their results and achieve record-breaking performance.


Article Source: Doug C Watsabaugh