6 Mistakes people make in response to change

This week's post comes from Tim Kight of the Focus 3 blog.

Change is inescapable. It’s going to happen. It’s just a fact of life. You have two options. You can resist change, fight it, try to avoid it – and you’ll find that things become increasingly difficult for you. Or, you can adjust and adapt to the change in a positive and proactive way. Given the pace of change in today’s world, this is an essential skill to develop.

The difficult part about change is that it asks you to forget old ways of doing things and learn and embrace new ways that are going to feel foreign and uncomfortable at first.

Today I want to talk about the 6 mistakes you should strive to avoid when faced with change.

Mistake #1 – Expecting things to stay the same.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in a world where things turn out the way we expect. If we did I’d be writing this from my 200-foot yacht somewhere in the south Pacific. The world is unpredictable and constantly changes. So expect, and be prepared for, things to change!

Mistake #2 – Blaming and complaining

Complain, scream, cry, or be as stubborn as you want. Unless YOU are the one driving the change, you’ll accomplish nothing except making the change more stressful. You only have a certain amount of time and energy each day so instead of blaming the organization or complaining about the change, why not invest your time and energy into increasing your capacity to the change?

Another thing you can do is to zoom out to get the 10,000-foot view and try to understand WHY the change is taking place. Once you know that, you can zoom back in and figure out HOW you can most effectively respond.

Mistake #3 – Withdrawing

Withdrawing into your comfort zone and hiding from the change doesn’t help, it won’t stop the change. While you’re hiding away, the rest of the world is changing and leaving you behind. Yes, change is uncomfortable but you need to learn to embrace the discomfort and do the work that change necessitates.

Mistake #4 – Being controlled by the past or intimidated by the future.

I get it. Routines are comfortable. But remember, the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth of the hole you're in. Continuing to do the same things but expecting different results is the very definition of insanity! Change is the bridge to the future – YOUR future. Yes, change is scary. Stepping outside your comfort zone is scary. But growth doesn’t happen until you leave your comfort zone.
 

Mistake #5 – Dragging your feet.

“Slow walking” and passively resisting the change isn’t going to make it go away. All you’re doing is wasting your time and energy. The sooner you adjust and learn the new skills and information required, the more successful and less stressed you’re going to be!

Mistake #6 – Seeing change as a threat.

Change is scary. That’s why most people see it as a threat. But change isn’t a threat – it’s an opportunity. Make yourself stand out from the crowd by the way you respond to change.

Lots of people DO want change. But they want it without discomfort. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Your personal and professional success depends on your ability to embrace productive discomfort and adjust to change.