By Paul Kaye
PSR Contributor
Tuesday December 29th, 2015
Ch-Ch-Changes
There is one constant in life whether it be in business or in our personal lives – change. Change isn’t something you can simply avoid it’s inevitable. No one is immune to change. It has to happen. It is because of change that we – humans – are even here. If we hadn’t adapted – or changed – to our environment then we would have likely succumbed to the predators that were intent on driving our extinction.
It feels like change is happening quicker today than it ever has. We experience a faster pace to life due to the technological advances we have seen in the last decade or so. Interesting that it seems less scary to say “technological advances” rather than “technological changes”. We should be accustomed to change. We have all dealt with so much of it in our lives yet for most of us change is scary. Change can be downright terrifying.
Why is change so scary? It’s the fear of the unknown.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is the fear of the unknown.” – H.P. Lovecraft
It doesn’t matter whether we perceive the change to be positive or negative it will always create uncertainty. We get comfortable in the way things are done. Our confidence comes from the familiarity of the knowledge we have acquired over time. Any modification to our familiarity wobbles our confidence and creates apprehension and anxiety. Change is difficult because our brains expect things to stay the same way. We are creatures of habit and change makes us uncomfortable. We thrive through routine and predictability. That gives us control.
Everything we learn gets programmed into our minds and the more we do something the less pour brain has to think about it – we just do it. That’s why changing something we have have been doing for a long time is tough; the earlier we learned something, the harder it is to change. The process or thought pattern is deeply ingrained in us. The phrase “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” has some truth to it.
Change can also bring loss. When something changes we may have to give something up – a way of thinking, a place, a person – or we may have something taken away from us. Our minds hate loss. When we become emotionally invested in something it becomes a lot harder to change because we despise the idea that we have wasted our time and effort. We simply can’t let go as our minds convince us that everything was for nothing. The rational thought is that we learnt something from the experience, but the irrational part of our brain leaps up and says “but we have invested so much in this… It can’t be for nothing”.
While change happens in every aspect of our lives it happens with ferocity in the workplace. People who perform at the highest levels seem more adaptable and comfortable with change but how do they do it? Here are some universal approaches for dealing with change.
Acknowledge the change. You simply can’t make the change that is about to or already is occurring unless you first acknowledge it. Burying your head in the sand doesn’t help. Ignoring change will only prolong the sense of trepidation you are experiencing.
Label your fears. Much like acknowledging the change you have to acknowledge the emotions you are feeling. Naming or labeling our emotions is the first step to moving past them. We are emotional at our core and emotions prevent us from being rational. Naming the emotions we are feeling helps us start to become objective about how we’re feeling. Write down the fears down to avoid dwelling on them.
Stay positive. Fear can spiral when we let negativity run wild. We start to fixate on all the things that could go wrong. We exaggerate every possible negative until they feel insurmountable. Our fears come from how we choose to view the change. We need to keep our mind fixated on the positive possibilities. Consider the past and ask yourself to remember times you’ve successfully navigated change. What were the positives that came from that? What worked well for you in the past when dealing with change?
Take care of your health. Change requires a great amount of energy. We are being dragged – often kicking and screaming – out of our comfort zone and that requires more of our mental and physical energy. Taking the time to exercise and eat well helps us better manage the stress, gain perspective and keep our energy reserves topped up.
Get involved. When our fear takes hold of us, it’s easier to retreat than it is to attack. We remove ourselves from the change that is happening. We hide on the sidelines. Accepting the change is one thing, watching while others figure it out doesn’t help manage our apprehension. Instead get close to the change. The closer you get the more you’ll understand the rationale. Understanding helps squash the unknown.
Change will happen. It should happen. It needs to happen in order for organizations (and individuals) to grow. We can choose to fight it, but it won’t do any good. It will only make us unhappier even if we can’t see that at the time. Successful people aren’t immune to the emotions surrounding change; they have the same fears we all do. The difference is they have learnt to manage change for themselves. They don’t fight change. They evolve with it.
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
About Paul Kaye
Born in England, Paul got his first PD role in the early 2000s, making him the youngest programmer in the UK at the time. After nearly a decade programming in the UK Paul moved to Canada in 2012 to work for Newcap. Paul spends his days looking after stations in the CHR, Hot-AC and Classic Hits formats and also holds the role of National Talent Development Director for the company. A role that sees him working with morning shows, on air talent, and programmers across the country to improve performance. Paul lives in Vancouver and can be reached at
ka*******@ma**.com
Paul Kaye | National Director – Talent Development | Newcap Radio
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