A lot of my work these days is focused on assisting organisations with change. Not change management in the traditional sense, there's plenty of people better than I who can do this. My focus is on how to manage and handle change from a fixed mind-set perspective, changing the way we think about change.
Change is the only consistent aspect of business these days. Change is here to stay. Ever heard of companies such as Xerox, Kodak, Motorola, and Pan Am? Those of you who are more 'experienced' (older) would have. They were world leaders in their fields who failed to adapt, they failed to change.
Communication and personal resilience is my interest so I focus on these aspects in my work. Communication has changed dramatically in the last two decades; our attention span for a single topic has shortened therefore we need to keep our sentences much shorter and move on quickly to the next topic, we now have four generations in the workplace so we need to change our style so that we address all four different communication styles, and as technology advances the way in which we communicate must also advance. So don’t follow this last paragraph if you want to engage people, look to the next paragraphs.
Resisting change won't benefit anyone, especially yourself. I recall years ago as the chair of a school board of trustees saying that we didn't need computers in classrooms. They were just a passing fad I said. I'm an idiot! I didn't want to change, I didn’t like change, I couldn't see the benefit of change. I resisted.
Gen-Ys and Millennials enjoy change, they grew up with it. Without change they become bored. Baby boomers on the other hand are the reluctant ones, particularly the matriarchs and patriarchs of your company.
Resistance is futile to coin a well-known phrase. And it is. The easiest way to accept change is just that, to accept it as an on-going part of your work. Respond positively and your brain will follow. Look for opportunities to exploit the change for your own benefit, become the workplace change champion.
If you are still struggling, control what you can control and take it one step at a time. Break big changes into small pieces by learning one new thing each week. When you learn something new, share it with others. If in doubt, always ask and never guess.
By following these simple rules your brain will become accustomed to change and will actually start looking for change. You will find yourself adapting much faster and learning becomes much easier. Your resilience will improve as a result.