“People aren’t good at change” – A myth and self-fulfilling prophesy?
It’s a cliché we all repeat, because somebody influential said it, we latch onto it and echo it. It then becomes a convenient self-fulfilling prophesy. If we think we’re bad at it, we have an excuse to give up trying to make it happen.
Turns out, in my humble opinion, that we’re pretty good at it. We are, of course, changing and adapting all the time. My 92 year old mother can sit at home, “control” us siblings, positioned around the globe, through facetime. She orders her groceries, taxis and connects with the church fellowship group, all on-line. Given where life was in 1932 when she entered the world, I’d say she adapted well. Despite her amazing ability, she still feels insecure and uncertain, she feels like she’s not coping or able to change, yet she is, even at her age.
And here’s the point, the feelings we experience in periods of change, in life or business, often belie how successfully we are changing and adapting. No amount of logic will truly influence change, We have to affect how people feel about change, if we want them to adapt, adopt and survive.
Successful change in organisations requires vision, risk, courage, great leadership, structure, pace and, above all else, constant communication and debate.
If we engage each other properly, we can achieve monumental change in a short space of time. Disrespect feelings, knowledge and close down debate and watch how poor us humans are at change.
