Change Management
On my flight from Seattle to L.A. for last year’s PDC there were two young boys with their mother seated behind me. As we approached LAX the plane banked sharply for final approach, and one of the boys exclaimed, “This is where the sickness comes in!”
It reminded me that while change can be exhilarating, it can also be stressful. And because we often want to avoid stress, we avoid change. We stick with our proven practices at work, our established relationships in the community, our trusted recipes when cooking at home. They are convenient, cost effective and safe. At least in the short term. As Seth Godin points out, “There’s always a gap between the short-term results of a well-polished system and the first results of a switch to a more efficient one.” The morning after I read that post I woke up with this picture in my head:
The challenge is that the two circles are also frequently in motion. Sometimes there is great overlap, sometimes there is none. What is convenient and what is effective often change due to external factors beyond our control. Ultimately change has no inherent value on its own; it’s the intended results we are after. Don’t deny the cost, count the cost. And once counted, maybe your fear will subside enough that you’ll find yourself more exhilarated than stressed as you change your company strategies. Or at least try out a new recipe at home with some recently made friends. 