Research, essays, graduate theses, and books abound in explaining and recommending what to do when managing change. Managing change successfully, whether in our personal lives or professionally, is key to our professional success in business and for living a fulfilling life. Navigating job and life complexities is critical. Whether at work or in our personal life, we generally get better with experience. The complexities come from responding to change. Some of us like change and some of us dislike change. Whichever group you belong to, I hope you agree with me that any practical help managing change is welcomed.
I certainly do not want to repeat what many experts before me have said. I will, however, share seven key points from my own business experience that may help you think about how best to manage change in the business world.
- Stay close to the customer: It may sound obvious, but the point is frequently forgotten. When making changes, think “customer first”. How is my customer going to be affected by my change and is it a positive or negative change for my customer? Would my change be welcomed by my customer or have an opposite effect?
- Aim for excellence, not perfection: Doing the best you can is the best strategy. Shooting for perfection slows you down, may lead to procrastination, and will inevitably result in disappointment. No person and no actions are perfect. Giving it your best is indeed the best we can ask from ourselves and others.
- Use technology intelligently: Technology is powerful for automating routines, dull and repetitive tasks, and processes such as “robot work”. Technology is not appropriate for customer and employee relationships. Relationships involve emotions, manners, and human rapport. Keep relationships away from technology. When you do use technology, make it work for you but do not let it control you.
- Manage productivity rather than costs: A common saying is to be careful not to cut muscle along with cutting fat. Exercise caution when cutting costs. You want to manage productivity in a way that includes costs, but also look at processes, people motivation, and keep your focus on the end result.
- Respond rather than react: Responding implies taking responsibility and proceeding with a balanced action versus reacting, which literally means meeting one action with another one in an immediate and rash way. Reacting is also associated with being taken by surprise. Responding, on the other hand, implies thinking carefully about an action ahead of time.
- Plan ahead: I can assure you from experience that “the pain of planning is much less than the pain of regret”. Change has a desired outcome. Think in terms of the milestones along the way as you head toward this outcome. Milestones help you assess your progress along the way and adjust as needed.
- Celebrate your progress: Do not wait until you reach your final destination and achieve your ultimate goal of your change. By all means, party big when you reach your destination but remember to celebrate the small wins along the way. Mini celebrations build momentum and encouragement.
I hope my seven points help you make changes more confidently and more smoothly. I love the George Lichtenberg quote that says, “I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.”
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