You've all heard the expression that there are no certainties in life but death and taxes right? That means that everything else changes. Constantly. If that is a given then the most important thing becomes how we respond to it. That's what we explore this month!
You know that you can change my mind quickly and easily. You can even change your mood. At work you can change the way you perform certain tasks or even the way you prioritize your work. So the answer to the question is YES! Change can be fast and Easy.
I know you are thinking, yeah but hang on a minute, what about when we want to change something or someone else? Like putting in a new system; a new policy and process; or changing the way one person interacts with another. Those things are not so fast and easy. Maybe not. But can they be? I would suggest yes, they can.
First you need to understand that you can't change others, they have to choose to change. So assuming the change is ecological (good for the company, good for the employee, good for the community etc.) then your job is to help others with - why the change is needed, what the change is, how it will work and what happens if you don't change.
How can you make change fast and easy for others? Let's take a look at just four of the elements that if managed well can make change fast and easy.
1. Choice - what are the choices? E.g. do nothing? Do this but not that? Do that? It doesn't matter the context. The point is we are always looking for choice. So what does that mean when you want others to change? Well you can't always give people a literal choice e.g. implementing a new policy but regardless of whether you can provide options or not you can explain the choices you had and the choice you made. This is all about being clear on the 'Why' and connecting it to something bigger (goals or vision).
2. Benefit - What's the benefit of the change? Will it improve something? Will it make my life easier? Will it get results? Unless we or others can see a benefit or a problem that is being solved from a change we are not likely to make the change. This about what the change is intended to deliver.
3. Impact - What impact will this have on me? On others? Will it be better or worse? Make things easier or more difficult? Give me more opportunities or less? How will it be done? How long will it take? If you are expecting others to change then you would have considered the answers to these questions already - share it! This is about how the change will be made and the impact it will have.
4. Motivation - What will happen if the change isn't made? What if I need skills I don't have? What if it doesn't work? Did you know that we are more likely to do something to avoid pain then to seek pleasure? It's true. These 'What if questions' help people with that choice. So stack the pain (for not changing) as well as pointing out the pleasure.
Don't be fooled though. While change can be fast and easy, transformation and progress on the other hand, takes time.
"Change your thoughts and you change your world" ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Therese Wales is Managing Director of Up to You providing Leadership Coaching and Organizational Change Management Services. Call 0418608498 or go to http://www.up-to-you.com.au for more information.
By Therese Wales
You know that you can change my mind quickly and easily. You can even change your mood. At work you can change the way you perform certain tasks or even the way you prioritize your work. So the answer to the question is YES! Change can be fast and Easy.
I know you are thinking, yeah but hang on a minute, what about when we want to change something or someone else? Like putting in a new system; a new policy and process; or changing the way one person interacts with another. Those things are not so fast and easy. Maybe not. But can they be? I would suggest yes, they can.
First you need to understand that you can't change others, they have to choose to change. So assuming the change is ecological (good for the company, good for the employee, good for the community etc.) then your job is to help others with - why the change is needed, what the change is, how it will work and what happens if you don't change.
How can you make change fast and easy for others? Let's take a look at just four of the elements that if managed well can make change fast and easy.
1. Choice - what are the choices? E.g. do nothing? Do this but not that? Do that? It doesn't matter the context. The point is we are always looking for choice. So what does that mean when you want others to change? Well you can't always give people a literal choice e.g. implementing a new policy but regardless of whether you can provide options or not you can explain the choices you had and the choice you made. This is all about being clear on the 'Why' and connecting it to something bigger (goals or vision).
2. Benefit - What's the benefit of the change? Will it improve something? Will it make my life easier? Will it get results? Unless we or others can see a benefit or a problem that is being solved from a change we are not likely to make the change. This about what the change is intended to deliver.
3. Impact - What impact will this have on me? On others? Will it be better or worse? Make things easier or more difficult? Give me more opportunities or less? How will it be done? How long will it take? If you are expecting others to change then you would have considered the answers to these questions already - share it! This is about how the change will be made and the impact it will have.
4. Motivation - What will happen if the change isn't made? What if I need skills I don't have? What if it doesn't work? Did you know that we are more likely to do something to avoid pain then to seek pleasure? It's true. These 'What if questions' help people with that choice. So stack the pain (for not changing) as well as pointing out the pleasure.
Don't be fooled though. While change can be fast and easy, transformation and progress on the other hand, takes time.
"Change your thoughts and you change your world" ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Therese Wales is Managing Director of Up to You providing Leadership Coaching and Organizational Change Management Services. Call 0418608498 or go to http://www.up-to-you.com.au for more information.
By Therese Wales
Post a Comment