Change is painful and scary. It is fear that prevents many of us from changing because we are programmed to 'protect' what we have - what we know and what are comfortable with.
Change is associated with perceived discomfort. It requires us to reset, to challenge, to take risks ... and for many of us - we don't like risks - we like safe and dependable.
If you think about it the phrase 'better the devil you know' - that is ridiculous. If whatever you are thinking about is a 'devil' then change it!
Change is not a single event, a happening, a moment in time. Whatever you are trying to change can lead to a single moment - like for example when you decide to change jobs and you finally hand in your notice - that's a moment .... but the totality of change is a process and to understand where you are in that process makes it easier for you and your colleagues.
Change has many stages depending on how you you interact with it including :
fear, anxiety, threat, disillusionment, hostility, determination, acceptance. motivation, achievement .... and guess what - then it starts all over again!
Many of you will know, understand and may have used the 'Change Curve' in your development work. Yet how many of you really think about it regualrly? How many of you consider where am I on the curve in what is going on around me - and where are my team? How far are you (or they) from the point at which you have accepted the change, understood the change and can now move forward and thrive?
If you understand this you are intrinsically better placed to make change easier and more productive for everyone.
