The painful side of change
by Miki Saxon
The common word is that people hate change; then there’s the school that says it’s not change, but how change is presented and implemented.
Personally, I agree with both statements.
Change must be presented intelligently, i.e., in ways that the people involved see the change as positive (for themselves).
This is the overt side of change that at its best addresses both the right and left side of your brain.
But what about the covert side of your brain—the part ruled by habit?
Anybody who has ended a habit, such as smoking, or modified an unconscious characteristic, such as rapid speaking, knows just how difficult it is to change/modify things of which you’re not even aware.
It is this covert side that makes change so difficult.
Any major action or situation has dozens of tiny associated habits and every one of them needs to change or, at least, be modified, because habits are never really broken—they are replaced.
For example, it is the hundreds of covert habits that make changing jobs so traumatic. On top of all the biggies—new company/culture/job/boss/colleagues—are the minutiae of functioning—route to work/parking/mass transit/restrooms/eating/etc.—this list is far longer than the overt list—and far more ignored.
Whether you are leading change or changing yourself, ignoring the covert side will always imperil success.
What’s your approach to the convert side of change?
Your comments—priceless
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Image credit: claudmey CC license
August 15th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
To change and to improve are different. Many organizations propose change without a Mission and vision to then return to the status quo…
August 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Hi Beto, thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation.
You are so right about change not equating to improvement or progress, for that matter. Yes, a mission and a vision help, but even the willing and eager will still go through the discomfort of changing all those habits.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I think discomfort and change can help us stretch and grow. We need to actively look for opportunities to change the way we do things — or even the way we think about things — in order to make true progress.
August 17th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Hey Miki! I’m finally back. With any change, regardless of how small or big you think it is, I think you have to remember people are involved. People are complex beings, each with our own complicated web of relationships, habits, thinking, etc. If I can remind myself over and over that, although I am changing systems and models, I am effecting the lives of numerous people, it helps the change process tremendously. Respect and appreciation for people motivates me.
By the way, I just finished reading Harvard Business Essentials’ “Managing Change and Transition”. They talk about this some in a few chapters.
August 17th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Hi Miranda, good to see you. I agree with what you say, but changing all those unconscious little habits shouldn’t be minimized.
August 17th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Hey Casey, I was wondering where you’ve been:) Isn’t it funny how often someone tries to change something without considering the people affected, especially in all those tiny, covert ways that aren’t all that obvious.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Hello Miki,
Great post. I think you have hit on a powerful source of hidden resistance to change. A successful change program should do the hard work of examining what these might be, and determining how best to address them. It’s not a matter, necessarily, of convincing people of the overtly positive reasons for change, but of removing the covertly stubborn resistance in order to help assure a successful transition.
Excellent – thanks!
August 19th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Hi Jim, I’m glad you found it useful. I dealt with this in individuals hundreds of times as they changed jobs when I was a recruiter and found that habit change isn’t something that can be removed. My approach was to bring it up and discuss it openly, so they weren’t broadsided or surprised and could consciously modify/replace the habits involved.