Hey change resistors - I salute you!
I don’t just get you. I am you. I hate change and I can prove it.
Confessions of a change resistor
New cell phones – I wait as long as possible before I purchase a new phone. No, I’m not using a flip phone, but close.
Cell phone iOS upgrades – no thank you.
I remember when Microsoft made changes to PowerPoint years ago. I was a consultant and consultants live in PPT. And Microsoft moved the buttons from the bottom to the top and from the left to the right and I was flummoxed. I revolted. I wrote to Bill Gates demanding he put it back the way it was. It slowed my work WAY down. My colleagues may still remember how poorly I handled this change.
I listen to books on Audible and I love long series with the same characters. But it is impossible to get into the stories when each book has a new narrator. Especially when different narrators pronounce key character’s names differently. It ruins the experience for me. I cringe when I start a new book, waiting to hear what voice I’m going to be listening to. Why can’t 1 narrator do the whole series?
Running shoes – I understand there is new technology designed to make me run faster or to protect me from injury. I don’t want to break in a different type of shoe when the ones I wear work for me. Inevitably
the shoes (substitute any favorite thing here – shorts, tea flavor) get discontinued.
So what can I do about it?
1. I can practice what we have all learned about what is in our control and what is not in our control and what we can influence.
I can control how long I hold out before I buy a new phone, but I have to live with the fact that I may be compromising my phone’s performance which could result in lost data. And I could be missing out on the opportunities new features and functionality will provide. My choice – my eyes are wide open.
iOS upgrades – see previous comment
MS Office product changes are inevitable. I was truly missing out on pretty cool PPT features by holding on to what I was comfortable doing. This was bad behavior. I watched a short YouTube video and was up and running on the new features in no time and learning shortcuts and ‘accelerators’ I didn’t know existed.
Audible narrators – If I’m going to keep listening to book series, I must prepare myself for a new voice. I can also keep doing what I’ve been doing to feel better about it, which is to shout at the narrator the correct pronunciation of the name when he gets it wrong.
Running shoes – I can buy multiple pairs when I find ones I really love. They won’t go bad sitting on the shelf. But maybe, at that next 5k, I can ask some of my fellow runners what they like about the shoes they are wearing. I just might be encouraged to try something new – especially if they look good!
How does this help us with resistance at work?
In my decades of leading change, I have come across maybe 3 true resistors who needed to be removed from the project because they were impeding success. It is that rare.
Employees can earn the label of resistor for different reasons. Here are a few of the most common:
· They just don’t know enough yet about what will be expected of them so they are not ready to get on board
· They were part of building the current state, had great success with it, was rewarded for it, and are not convinced the future state is an improvement
· They see serious flaws with the future state and need an avenue to share them with the project team to avoid potential issues
· This is not the only change they are going through and they are struggling with juggling multiple changes while still being held accountable for their day jobs so it appears they are hesitating to get on board
· They see what will be required of them in the future state and are legitimately concerned about having the skills to be successful
· They may have a personal situation that is getting in the way of their ability to embrace the change
These are common and valid reasons employees may appear to be resisting change. And each one has an appropriate response which begins with being heard. Being heard by their supervisor, their manager, the project manager, the change lead – all of these should be capable of addressing the concerns of employees struggling with the change.
What is NOT acceptable is labeling employees as resistors and then dismissing them.
