Change is a concept that most people are quick to run away
from. The thought of change scares us, not knowing the outcome and moving away
from the norm. One of the most difficult things to do is to get a large group
to embrace change. Edith Onderick-Harvey gives us some ways to motivate a group
to be willing to change in her article “5
Ways to Help Your Team Be Open to Change”.
Edith claims that leadership and engagement is not the key
to this change, but instead being able to inspire others to adopt the idea of
change through creativity and innovation is the key to change.
Edith’s five ways to help change are:
1.
Tell stories about others who moved beyond the
status quo.
2.
Create dialogue, inviting others to ask
questions and share emotions, experiences, and insights.
3.
Ask “what if?” questions in one-on-one and team
meetings.
4.
Set expectations that everyone (including
yourself) should acknowledge, and take responsibilities for mistakes. And then,
treat mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth.
5.
Champion cross-boundary collaboration and
networks to open up thinking and gain new perspectives.
Together these five ways to help with change allow for new
ideas and food for thought to enter the team. Telling stories about others
succeeding motivates others to go out of their comfort zone to achieve new
goals. Creating dialogue brings new ideas and begins innovation. Asking “what
if?” brings in new possibilities of where they could be. Expectations provide
sets standards and helps the team work in an efficient and structured way to achieve
their goals. Cross-boundary collaboration and networking brings in fresh ideas
and possibilities that they may not have thought of before.
Change for me always was a scary thought and I never wanted
to explore the possibilities that come with that change. However, once I
realized that change is literally life changing then I realized the potential
that comes with that change. Being able to grow as a person, as student, a
worker or whatever you are doing allows us to be not only a better leader but a
better follower as well.
These five way are just a few things to easing the idea of
change into others but they are not all the ways. Everyone has their own way of
embracing change so what is yours?
I will be the first to admit that I am not great with change. I like routine. I am and have always been a creature of habit. When something comes up and throws off my plans, I start to get really anxious. I wish I could embrace change better. I mostly just try and tell myself that it's a good thing and that everything will be fine.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good blog for anyone that is about to graduate to read, as a graduating senior you are about to experience a lot of change and there is not a whole lot you can do about it other than grab it by the horns and roll with it. Knowing how to deal with change though is very important and can help you deal with it.
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