The Upside of Change

Change is happening all of the time in life and in organisations. Every so often the scale of change ramps up and the stakes are higher.

We all know that resistance to change is common. We also recognise that change is hard for everyone, not least those leading or managing change.

In any situation where we have change there are both upsides and downsides of change.

So let’s consider some of the upsides.

New Start

It’s really easy to just go through the motions and function on auto pilot. Change presents an opportunity for a new and fresh start. For new skills to be acquired, new experiences to be gained and for new leaders and managers to emerge.

New Challenge

I know one of the things I found hard was when things were running along smoothly. For me the excitement was always in the improvement or transition phase.
Any form of significant change presents a new challenge. It can invigorate or re-invigorate people.

Personal and Professional Growth

We all at some level want to grow personally and professionally. We can read about it, do case studies and have discussions in a learning environment.

On the other hand nothing stimulates and accelerates personal and professional growth than having to do it for real.

Realisations

When we are going about our work or life in steady state, we are in our comfort zone. We might believe we are operating to our potential.

When a change comes around and we start to work on it, we quickly realise that there are whole host of skills, experiences and knowledge that is lying dormant.

This can be hugely motivating in my experience.

A Sense of Achievement

Look back at any situation where you delivered when the odds were stacked against you.
While things might have been sticky and even tough along the way, you probably felt a real sense of personal pride when you made it happen.

Camaraderie

There is nothing like a change challenge for creating a sense of camaraderie and everyone pulling together.

I experienced this first hand when a Director in the NHS and we faced challenges financially and operationally.
While we might not have liked the situation there was a real desire to make things better for the patients and service users.

The Bottom Line

While change may seem all bad, there are certainly plenty of upsides when it comes to change. Focus on these can make a big difference to the results that are achieved in times of change.