Transition is inevitable, disruption is not always bad and, let’s face it, Shakespeare had a good point. It’s been said ad nausea that “nothing is so constant as change,” and while truth lives within the letters of that statement, too often that sentiment is invoked at times when the change is viewed negatively, unwarranted or unwanted. No, this is not a “power of positive thinking” article but when Shakespeare said: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” (Hamlet Act II, Scene II) he had a good point.
In today’s economy and world circumstance, it is inevitable that companies will restructure, reorganize and make changes in an attempt to be more efficient, more effective and wiser in their ways. Unfortunately, such actions are often misunderstood, resisted and rejected by both the internal teams that are expected to carry out those transitions, and the clients who will be receiving the results of those transitions. The question is how one creates “buy-in?” The answer is simple, though not easy, and it’s found in Newton’s first law of physics: Inertia.
Inertia: An object in motion remains in motion until met by an opposing force. The problem with times of stress and transition, however, is we resort to past habits rather than new opportunities. Our old habits of intolerance creep back, all those great lessons we learned in management seminars are suddenly forgotten and there’s no time to be nice, there is just time to react. Instead of moving forward, asking what is possible; we “go back to what worked last,” or worse yet, stop thinking at all and simply engage a kind of auto-pilot to push through to the other side. Instead of learning new techniques and continuing with training and development, we pull back viewing such expenditures as superfluous or luxuries of a more affluent time. And herein lays the mistake. You can never go back and (thanks Einstein) you can’t use the same line of thinking to get out of a problem as you were using when you got into it.
Transitions are scary because they are filled with unknowns. Are you facing or implementing a transition in your business and looking for buy-in? Then go through it, not around it. Acknowledge the fears, doubts and concerns put forth by those affected. Validate their perspectives so you can create an environment that draws people in rather than simply passing down edicts that hold them an arms length away. Most people don’t need to be right, they just want to be heard, and remember, you’ve been contemplating your transition for “x” amount of time, everyone else will need time to come up to speed, understand the value, buy into the proposition, and figure out how they can step into the transition in a way that serves them as well as the transition is going to serve your company. Help them figure those questions out and anything is possible.
The question isn’t whether the transition is good or bad, as Shakespeare taught us, the answer lies in our thinking, (and might I add, our feeling). We don’t change our thinking by force or coercion, we change it over time through insight, education and the freedom to question, challenge, explore and vent. Integrate that kind of environment with your teams and clients and they will walk along side you and possibly even help you find solutions and opportunities within the transition even you didn’t think of.
