While change is inevitable and a constant in life, in most cases it is perceived as a threat. Yet, we all go through phases of change in life both voluntary, involuntary, and in some cases disruptive changes with the potential of crippling (Baumgartner, 2019). However, when properly planned and executed, change can lead to growth and new opportunities.

A time in life when I resisted change was when I had to change homes. I was married, lived in an apartment about 7km from my parents in the community where I grew up, and received all the support I needed from family and friends. However, after a few years, there was a need for us to change apartments as the family was expanding. At this time, I had two kids and the need for a spacious and comfortable home became a need. All available apartments were more than 40km away, in an environment I knew no one. The fear of the unknown consumed me.

I was overwhelmed with thoughts and fear of the cost of the apartment, how we will integrate into the new community, the school for the children, proximity to my office, stress of packing and unpacking, etc. It took over a year to align my thoughts and accept the fact that the change was inevitable and a fundamental milestone to the success of the entire family. After several consultations and moral support from my wife, we decided to move and commenced a detailed relocation plan, Identifying potential risks and mitigations. We made several trips to the location many months ahead to understand the community and available facilities.

Three years later, I can confidently say that this was one of the most beneficial changes we made. The change led to many opportunities - the children were enrolled in a better school the community is safer and interestingly we discovered some relatives and friends lived close by.

I was able to overcome my initial resistance to the change by making a list of all our concerns, and fears and identifying a solution for each. Itemizing the concerns of everyone that will be impacted by the change in location, having a risk mitigation plan, and defining a value proposition for everyone - as I said to my kids that they will have more space in the house and each one can have a room to themselves, etc.

As a team leader assigned to lead a change, I will develop a change management plan, identify those to be impacted by the change and any concerns they may have, and develop a communication plan along with a value proposition, depending on the size of the team, I will identify and recruit change agents. These individuals are more likely to accept change faster and influence others. And then I will communicate, inform and have a channel to capture and address concerns related to the change.

Reference

Baumgartner, N. (2019, March 22). Change is the new normal: How to build a resilient workplace. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/03/22/change-is-the-new-normal-how-to-build-a-resilient-workplace/?sh=3582c7f55fc2

Respond to your colleagues' posts in one or more of the following ways:

• Ask a question about or relate your experience to the time your colleague needed to make a change but resisted it.
• Offer an insight you gained from your colleague's analysis of what held them back and what helped them overcome their resistance to change.
• Provide your perspective on how receptive you might be to your colleague's suggestion for helping a team overcome resistance to change. How do you think you would respond to their approach?