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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, April 9, 2007

Embracing change for the best

By Anita Bruzzese

Let's face it: Change can be hard.

We human beings are often stubborn, opinionated and resistant to anything out of our comfort zones. Is it any wonder, then, that many managers are so frustrated with intractable employees that they sometimes feel they are trying to herd cats?

It cannot be ignored that the boss often values more those employees who more easily accept new ideas or processes. For example, if your boss has to spend months getting you to fully accept and implement a new process while another employee embraces it in weeks, whom do you think he will see as costing him the most? Do you think he will appreciate your stubbornness if he has to explain to his boss why his department still has not fully moved toward a new goal?

If you think back to your childhood, you'll probably remember learning to ride a bike or fly a kite or even conquering some new academic challenge in school. At the time, figuring out a way to succeed was half the fun.

Then, of course, there was the exhilaration of racing down the street without training wheels, seeing a kite soar into a cloudless sky or writing a really great term paper that earned you a top grade.

Maybe it's just time you stopped looking at change as an enemy in your life, and instead embraced what it can bring you. In other words, instead of seeing it as a threat, see it as an opportunity to keep growing.

In my book, "45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy ... and How to Overcome Them," I've provided some ways to help you become more valuable to your boss during times of change:

  • Look deep. Think about how you really feel about change. If you're really fighting it, then think about what you believe you are losing.

  • Avoid placing blame. Being ticked at who or what has made change happen is wasted energy. You can't rewrite the past.

  • Open your mind. Think back to times when you were proven wrong about an assumption. Remember how you thought a new co-worker was snobby when you first met him, but then he turned out to be one of your closest allies at work? There is a reason "never say never" makes so much sense. What could it hurt to be more open to new ideas or new ways of doing things? Will you self-implode? Probably not.

  • Build support. Find others in your company who seem to be more open minded. Those who are constantly stretching their minds or abilities help create an atmosphere that makes acceptance of change easier. Don't let the naysayers drag you down.

  • Take some risks. If you let yourself grow outside of work, then changes in your job can be easier to handle. So, go ahead. Enter that marathon you've been thinking about, take the plunge and start a jazz band or even ride the big roller coaster at the theme park. Embrace new things like you did when you were younger.

  • Focus on learning. Just like your body, your mind must get exercise to maintain its muscle. Take the attitude that learning is lifelong and change is an opportunity to grow mentally stronger.

    Change can be a scary thing. But it also can be a chance to grow and experience new things. Think of all the things you learned as a kid — how to fish, how to make sandcastles and how to skateboard. Are any of those experiences something you wish you never had?

    Don't look at new challenges as something to be feared but something to be embraced. You never know when that next learning-to-fly-a-kite experience is right around the corner.

    Write to Anita Bruzzese in care of Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a self-addressed stamped envelope.