The One Constant in Life is Change

[RobD88]

Change is inevitable. It is the one and only true constant in life. This is even more so in business. Competitors and customers come and go. Products go through a lifecycle of new to obsolete. Technology advances. The financial landscape fluctuates. Companies must continually adapt to their environments to remain competitive or risk becoming obsolete themselves. This means that the people within the company must change to meet the needs of the company.

You can either embrace change or be left behind. The old mindsets of “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” & “that’s the way we’ve always done it” are company and career killers. Entrepreneurs who successfully adapt and grow an organization manage through change efficiently and with little stress. The most successful people embrace change and see it as a way to cultivate new skills that will help them bring more value to the marketplace.

Regardless of whether you struggle with change or welcome it, here are some tips to help you navigate the choppy waters ahead.

1. Accept it. Knowing that change is inevitable doesn’t make it any less frightening for some. People have a self-preservation instinct by nature. We worry about how changes will affect our business. Will it make it harder, easier, or perhaps put me out of business altogether. Accepting changes means leaving these thoughts behind and replacing them with the idea that change is an opportunity to learn and become better. It is an opportunity to provide more value to your customers. It’s an opportunity to improve performance and profitability which benefits everyone within the organization.
2. Understand it. Change simply for the sake of changing is counter-productive. Understanding what changes are being made and why are of the utmost importance. When you realize why what is happening is necessary or how it will benefit your company or your team it’s easier to accept. Understanding the “why” behind the change will help you set clear, measurable objectives towards achieving your portion of the process.
3. Be flexible. Change is not only a constant it is also constantly in flux. Change starts off as an idea. Then it is formed into a plan and implemented. Sometimes the plans are flawed or missing something. While the need for the change is real and the idea of how is solid the plan will inevitably need to be tweaked.
4. Be patient. Change doesn’t happen overnight. Some of the most successful implementations of very efficient improvements have taken years. Rushing things can be detrimental to the process. It’s important to uncover every possible issue and address them appropriately. This means that you can be caught in transition for an extended period of time. Do not let that sway you from the plan. Accept the uncertainty and be optimistic. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
5. Trust. Every company has one goal…profitability. So much of business change happens behind the scenes. At some point your or someone in your organization did the analysis on a problem and found the answer to the problem which led to the change. Unless the analysis proved whatever changes being implemented were going to provide greater profitability and benefit to the company it wouldn’t be happening. Trust in yourself stay positive and manage the process.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a simple change or very complex. It will happen and you should be a part of it. Follow these tips and you will get through it unscathed. Hopefully you learn something, add to your skillset, and become a more valuable employee when all is said and done. And smile…it’s only something new until it becomes the way we’ve always done it.

 

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