Change Management

How well do you handle change? Are you someone who enjoys it or someone who fears it? Are you willing to sit back and "just roll with it"? Or do you fight it every step of the way?

In the workplace, we all have to deal with change on a regular basis. Co-workers leave or get promoted. Boss's do the same. Sometimes, the entire company changes around us. If you've ever been through a merger you know what that feels like. And most of the time, it takes change to keep your career moving forward. When things stay the same, you stay the same.

For me, change is almost always uncomfortable. That's not to say that I fear it or even dislike it. I've actually learned to enjoy the process of change. I wrote an article a long time ago about how change is a mixture of opportunity and chaos. My relationship with change revolves around my understanding of this. I recognize that every opportunity also presents a level of inevitable discomfort or chaos. That period of time when you lose the old reliable routine and have to learn everything from scratch is tough. There's no denying it. You can't lose sight of the reason it's happening - the opportunity. That's what gets you through.

I've been going through a lot of change recently - personally, professionally, physically. These things have been good and bad, painful and pleasant. I've learned so much about how to manage change. I'd like to share a few pointers.

Be Patient

Learning new things is difficult. That's the reason most of us like our routine so much - it ends up being kind of mindless. Once you've done something enough times, no matter how difficult it is, it becomes second nature. When you're going through any kind of change, you have to be patient with yourself as you learn new things. If you're working with a new boss, don't expect that you're going to "click" right away. Give yourself some time to learn the way they operate. If you're trying to lose weight, don't expect it to happen overnight. Anything that is worth doing is worth waiting for.

Be Flexible

Whenever you experience a change, you have to be willing to go with the flow. Now is not the time to be rigid and hardheaded. Big changes usually mean several "iterations", meaning the change happens in stages rather than all at once. Bottom line: don't get too comfortable. Remember that things are unstable. Something that was considered "procedure" yesterday may be completely gone the next. Don't get too wrapped up in the how and why. Just be prepared that you might have to learn several different ways of doing things before the final way sticks.

Don't Lose Sight of the End Game

I was a big "Alias" fan (Sydney Bristow is my hero!). One of the things I always loved was when Sydney and her CIA spy co-workers were sitting around the conference room, discussing the latest terrorist on the run, and they always asked, "What's his end game?" They always needed that frame of reference to remember that whatever was happening now was a part of a much bigger plan.

When dealing with change, you have to be Sydney Bristow. Look at the big picture and remind yourself that the present moment is just a step that's getting you closer to that end game. Keep the goal front and center in your mind. This will help motivate you. You'll be surprised how much you're willing to put up with when you know it's for good reason. I mean look at Sydney Bristow - she was tortured in half the episodes! Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme. But you know what I mean: change is a lot less painful when you keep your eye on the prize.

I hope you'll share how you deal with change. Do you love it, hate it, avoid it, seek it? What's the biggest change you've ever been through - professionally or personally - and how did you cope with it? I hope some of you will share.