Change eagerly awaits your response, knocking at the door of your life. Sometimes, you welcome it with open arms, anticipating its arrival and embracing the new possibilities it brings. Other times, you peek through the peephole, hoping to avoid its gaze. But change is persistent, and its pounding on the door grows louder, demanding to be acknowledged. There comes a point when you can no longer look away, and you must confront what lies on the other side.
Why do we hesitate to open the door and face the change that awaits us? What do we fear? Perhaps we find comfort in the familiar and question the need for change. Or maybe we dread the unknown, fearing that we won’t be adequately prepared. If only life were like an Amazon order, where we know exactly what to expect. With such anticipation, we can prepare ourselves and make space in our lives for what is about to come.
Preparation provides us with a sense of comfort.
However, when change forcefully pounds on the door, it startles us, leaving us disquieted and unsure. Denial, frantic scrambling, and fear become our initial reactions.
Change can be a revolution or an evolution.
Revolutionary change demands our immediate attention and refuses to be ignored, no matter how much we may wish to hide from it.
In the realm of business, revolutionary change can manifest as an unexpected employee resignation, an aggressive competitor threatening your customer base, or a viral negative review.
It is the kind of change that alters the course of your life or business in a single, defining moment.
On the other hand, evolutionary change sneaks up on us quietly, like a stealthy intruder. It slowly advances towards our door, steps onto our welcome mat, lightly knocks, waits, jiggles the handle, and finally rings the bell, seeking our attention. Perhaps it’s an employee who casually mentions their aging parent, a situation you’ve heard about over time but didn’t expect to impact their employment. Or maybe it’s a frustrated team member whom you’ve attempted to coach, only to witness an explosive outburst. Now, you have no choice but to open the door and confront the situation.
You must pay attention to the subtle signals that hint at an impending evolutionary shift. By anticipating changes, you can move people, refine processes/systems, and be prepared when the package arrives at your doorstep.
A leader proactively plans for change, seeking to enhance productivity and teamwork while minimizing stress and errors.
But how do you respond to revolutionary change? If a catastrophe, snowstorm, or pandemic strikes, you weather the storm, learn from it, and strategize your response for the next time.
When it comes to revolutionary change involving your team, how do you prepare? Consider implementing succession planning and cross-training to anticipate potential “what if” scenarios. This proactive approach allows you to adapt and respond with minimal disruption to your team and business. Succession planning involves mapping out the potential movement of people into different roles within the organization. Cross-training ensures the people are equipped to step into those roles and effectively do the necessary tasks.
Embrace the knock of change, for beyond the door lie opportunities for transformation.
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. Winston Churchill
