Do You Have The Right Spirit for Change?

We business types seem to enjoy--and gravitate towards--discussions about Change. And it's almost always in the context of managing it, leading it, overcoming resistance to it...as if Change is somehow different than life.

It isn't. 

Change Is Life

Which means that how we approach our lives and what comes our way will influence how we approach things that are new and different at work. How we choose to respond to changes will determine our sense of success and  contentment, regardless of what comes our way.

It is, in fact, a spiritual issue. The worldview that you possess will determine how you lead or respond to changes, and whether you will lift people up or cut them down in a display of anger or negativity.

I've been involved in leading or assisting  corporate "change" efforts for nearly thirty years. Some quite successful, some mediocre, a few downright ugly. So, it's something that I've thought about often and quite deeply. 

Some Conclusions (From Experience) About Change

1. Once you announce that you are undertaking a large-scale "Change", you've set the conditions for adversarial relationships. The human condition doesn't necessarily want change; it wants control.

Therefore,

2. You have set in motion a struggle for control: Self-control, control of the situation, control of other people...

3. If you want to do something new or different, tell people you want to do something new or different. Tell them exactly what it is, why it is (reality), and how it will improve the business/workplace situation (hope). Then be prepared to "be there"--even more than usual--to support the effort.

Change models, for the most part, grew from Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' work "On Death and Dying." She did a magnificent job explaining the emotional cycle that people experience who are facing or dealing with death. In my experience, the model does, indeed, hold up in any situation involving changes. And it is for that very reason that the issue is always a spiritual one. People who are dying need to reconcile not only what is happening to them now, but what has happened in their entire lives--as well as resolving any unanswered questions regarding eternity.

Those of us facing changes at work do the same thing: we attempt to reconcile what is happening, what our career in the organization has been about, and what the unknown future will hold.

For that reason, I believe it's important for organization dwellers at all levels to have an understanding of the model. Everyone involved can then know how to respond in an uplifting or supportive manner when they recognize someone else experiencing a particular step along the way. (That also means painting reality for those who are stuck on Fantasy Island).

That said, I also believe that making "Change" the overarching theme in communication, training, and managing is a big mistake. It will drain the energy from the specific, meaningful improvements you want to make.

What to Do

If you truly believe in what you need to do, then do it. But first check out the spirit with which you are about to deal with the people who have to make it happen. What is it? Really?

If you are on the receiving end, is your response any different than to any other change in your life?

Whether  you are leading or following, the spirit with which you evaluate and participate will impact the accuracy and wisdom of your choices.  And those choices will determine business effectiveness and personal contentment in the days and weeks ahead.

It is a choice. And your choices are the only thing over which you have control. Be careful of the spirit with which you exercise them.

Comments

[Kevin W. Grossman]

Completely agree, Steve. Number 3 is critical because the more beneficial change is perceived to those asked to change, the less resistant they are and choosing change as detrimental becomes less of a choice.

In a sense, change management is a exercise in spiritual counseling -- not something that business leaders what to hear but a reality nonetheless.

[Karla Porter]

As you pointed out, change IS life. Yet, it runs against the grain of our human love of stability. We want a pit stop, a place we can get off on the shoulder of the road to have consistency and normalcy. Over my career people have come to my office, shut the door and told me the routine of their work was the one thing in life they could count on. The rest was falling apart.

When we change someone's stability, make necessary change so drastic it is not what people signed on for, we need to not take "control" away from them but whenever possible find ways to give them meaningful roles in the orchestration of it.

When people have invested years of their lives in our organizations, playing puppet master is a dangerous act. We're not only affecting the outcome of a board meeting or revenue, we affect our bottom line, those ultimately instrumental in our success or failure. We're also affecting outside of our organization as people carry the uncertainty, stress and anxiety with them to their homes and families.

You're so right Steve, it needs to be done right.

[Steve Roesler]

Kevin

Your last line is, in fact, my experience. The reason: When we ask for commitment we're asking for someone's heart. That kind of talk doesn't fly very easily in the boardroom even though folks realize the truth in it.

[Steve Roesler]

Karla

I want to thank you for the insights in the third paragraph. That's where we see the impact and you've described it in a powerful way.

Your contribution should at least tweak the thinking of even the most hardened "change" veterans.

[Steve]

Hi Steve,
I've applied some of these concepts into a personal change in my life, a divorce last year. At the begining of it, I vowed I would walk the high path, and create a better life for me, and become a better person, father, friend and eventual partner. I worked hard as the upheaval created sleepless nights, harsh emotional outbursts, and more. Eventually, as I knew it would, time has softened much of the pain and self-doubt. I have accepted what was and tried to help in the parts I was responsible for, to become accountable. I have worked. every. day. to create a larger, different comfort zone for me.
The constant through all of this was the knowledge that change was inevitable. I consciously CHOSE to make choices throughout this period, and to observe how my choices affected me and others, in effect, reconciling what was happening to and for me.
The one thing I can't change right now, is the image my ex holds of me. But what I can do is live my life in the manner in which I am choosing to, and let her (eventually, hopefully) choose to see me differently, as I am, not what I was (her Fantasy Island).
It is really amazing where you can find analogies to your life experiences if you look and are open to them - even in a workplace blog.
Thanks for your writing.

[Steve Roesler]

Steve

Thank you for sharing such a profound and personal situation. Your description, I'm sure, will prove helpful to others in similar situations.

You allow that consciously making choices about change has been a critical element of your path through this. Some find that quite difficult and end up staying mired in the muck of it all. Kudos.

I'm reminded that we can't control what happens to us, especially when it comes to any kind of a relationship. However, we can control how we choose to respond.

All the best for you and your future.