Three Tips for Embracing Change
There is no doubt. Change is hard. Harder for some than others.
The future will be created by those who are willing to embrace uncertainty, risk and to avoid the temptation to look back on less challenging, more certain times with a sigh and a “remember when…”
I will be the first to admit that I lack patience for those who tend to look in the rearview mirror. As a futurist (so says my Gallop StrengthsFinder) I can be relied upon to eschew the status quo. And while I know my responsibility as a leader is to help bring people along, to help learn to embrace ongoing change and uncertainty, I am drawn to those who are comfortable with mixing things up. And I am pretty scary to those who need a moment to catch their breath.
The adoption of cloud-based tools like Microsoft Office 365 has forced the issue for knowledge workers today. Tools are updated regularly, with little to no option to hold back change. And as challenging as it can be to keep informed on what’s new and what’s coming, it can be even harder to plan for change with vague release timelines (Coming soon! Could be 3 months from now — could be tomorrow!) that can make anyone a little queasy from the anticipation.
Here are a few tips for those of you wanting to be more comfortable with embracing the changing world of work and for joining a coalition of the willing.
Commit to keeping informed
Identify the systems and tools that are most important to how you work. Make sure you have a way to stay up to date on upcoming changes that could disrupt or improve your ability to get things done.
Contribute to your own expertise
Chances are you use a small percentage of the features & tools available to you for communication & collaboration. Asking others for their favourite tips & tricks is a sure way to up your game.
Challenge the status quo
Build in time each week or month to challenge how you do things. We are creatures of habit but it is amazing how liberating it can be to find a new way to process information or manage our tasks.
