Management

Everyone realises that change is endemic to living, but no-one enjoys change being imposed. Amazingly though, we generally resist changes we want to make ourselves. Oh absolutely, we find ways to sabotage, resist and stall change, EVEN WHEN WE SAY WE NEED IT, AND VIEW IT AS GOOD!



In this article, I will try to answer three questions:



Question 1 - How do we resist change?



We all have our own unique strategies to resist change. Outlined below are some widespread resistance strategies. You may recognise them as ones that you use when faced with change.



More information needed - I realise that change might be good. However, I must have more information first, just to be sure. The desire for more information is a continuous process, and a superb way to procrastinate.



It's not as grim - Things aren't as awful as I first thought, so perhaps I don't need to change. This is more popularly referred to as the 'flight to health', and famously kicks in with married couples who are in difficulty and reluctantly go to marriage therapy. Then, when they arrive to therapy, they decide their relationship aint as bad as first thought!



This correct time - I can't start this diet right now - I have a wedding to attend next week. Of course, there is always an explanation why now isn't the appropriate time. I am wholeheartedly motivated, but not right now!



The intellectual - This person has loads of time to debate the ideas behind proposed change, but never gets round to any practicalities of making a shift. In other words, they never shift from talk to action.



It's them! - I'm ready to change, and if it wasn't for those people we could forge ahead. It's their problem, not my own.



Question 2 - Why do we resist change?



Change undermines our sense of control and security, leaving us feeling vulnerable. Loss of control, vulnerability, and insecurity are emotional responses. But rather than admit our emotions, we resist the change in our own way, using logical argument to justify ourselves to ourselves and others.



All of us resist change using one approach or another. The danger is that, by using our logocal (left-side) brain to justify our emotional resistance leaves this resistance hidden, from ourselves|in our subconscious}. So the step of learning to identify our own resistance, when it kicks in, can be really helpful - especially when the change in question is something we say we want. When we have named our own resistance, what can we do about it?



Question 3 - What can we do about our own resistance?



Here are six strategies for working on our own resistance, based on my experience of change, with clients and in my own life.



Work up your vision - Call it mission, vision, direction, or whatever. Set out where you want to go in your work and personal life. Once you identify your direction, set some goals - that way, you build a programme of action, and not just a foggy intention to do something 'sometime'. You should remember that, if you have no sense of direction, all change is bad news!



Get clear about your values - Your values are what's important for you, your moral code\guide. Get clarity on what they are. Examples of values include achievement, authenticity, integrity, decisiveness, and loyalty. Being clear on your own values will help you to plot a course for change, and work through your resistance when you need to.



The should / ought trap - Do you personally want change, or is it a change you 'should' or 'ought to' do? If it's ought or should, look at why you view things in this way. Are you considering change just to gain a thumbs up from others? If you don't want to change for your own reasons, dump the change.



Commit publicly - When you decide to publicise your intention to change, two things occur. First, events can start moving in a way that makes it easier to make the change. It may be complete coincidence, or it may be an invisible hand in the ether. But whatever it is, many people who make changes successfully say that 'declaring your intention to change' leads to momentum being gained. Second, the people you've informed will give you a bad time if you don't follow up on your declaration, resulting in embarrassment. Risk of embarrassment is a great motivator to action!



Consider your beliefs - We all have beliefs on ourselves, e.g. 'I'm not effective in formal networking', or 'I am risk averse'. These beliefs develop in our heads, often from our early days, or from events where things went wrong in some way. It's worth critically re-examining beliefs that hold you back. Beliefs are not necessarily true. They are merely your beliefs, and they can be changed. If you think your beliefs are true, just consider the anorexic who believes they are fat. Anorexics really do believe that.



Give yourself a break! - Perhaps most crucially, don't go too self-critical on this. It is natural to resist change - we require a degree of stability in the world after all. We're all human, we generally attempt to do our best. While we can all improve, it doesn't make us bad people. So go easy on number one.



In closing this article, I'll give you one last thought. If you wish to accelerate to a brilliant future, all you need to do is to stop braking! Reduce your own resistors, and you can achieve whatever you want.

Mark is the owner of Brilliant Futures. He is passionately committed to helping people develop to become the best they can be, have great careers, and hold their own power in work and life.

http://www.brilliantfutures.net/

About the author

I am the owner of Brilliant Futures, passionately committed to helping people develop to become the best they can be. I wrote 'Stand up and live', a book dedicated to helping people reclaim their own personal power to live the life they dream of.

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