The Blockbuster Change
A popular American motivational speaker, Les Brown says “in order to do something you’ve never done before, you have to be someone you’ve never been before.” In other words, one has to attain a newer phase to birth newer exploits. We cannot keep doing something in the same way and expect to arrive at a different result. This will be much more meaningful to you, if as you journey through life you have reached a stage when you realize and mutter “I know I can do more than what I am doing now, this is not my best yet. There is something more to my living.”
This stage comes for many people at different points in life. For some people, this stage comes at a very young age of teen or tween, before they are admitted into the university or college. This in turn hinders their opportunity to choose a life’s work and get serious with their choice.For some other people, it comes at the prime of their lives in their mid at thirty or forty, which again only but a few stop to consider its validity, or probably decide to go for more or altogether ignore.
The same reason why some people choose to respond to their instinct that something more can be done is the same reason why many others push it aside. And that singular reason is called CHANGE.
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Just like in the Linguistics field, the language used in the analysis of another language is called a metalanguage. In the same vein, change serves as a metalanguage for some kind of result and is to be learnt. That is, what change is all about, the ups and downs to be encountered during a change process and so on.
In addition, knowledge of the right processes to undergo so as to achieve a predetermined change is non-negotiable. Right knowledge will culminate in an appropriate result. The question of what more can be done, how much better can one do it, what more successful results can be obtained? Are questions that indicate and call for a change in the process of carrying things out.
Whether it is in one’s personal life or extending to the family, the organization or the society at large; When a new idea pops, when a method of doing things differently from the usual ‘old’ way is to be achieved, then a change becomes necessary.
It doesn’t matter how wonderful an idea may be, or how workable and achievable it may seem or as much potential as may be inherent in the new idea, there will usually be a resistance to the change that needs to be in place for such an idea to be realized.
Resistance against change is common everywhere, lining first in our personal lives where we find it difficult to embrace the change of discipline either time-discipline, self-discipline, money-discipline, and food-discipline; to the family where the breadwinner loses a source of income. And while it lasts, there is transference of financial responsibility, maybe some change of children’s institutions.
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Also, organizations also experience a resistance to change…where ‘oldies’ who think they might be affected by the acceptance of a new policy or organizational culture intentionally slack on change processes. A change will be resisted continually because of the good amount of work needed to work out the change. Most times, the change is not the problem but the step-by-step processes necessary in achieving the change.
Thus, the difficulties of the processes become what should be focused upon. As such, any change one hopes to create which processes are not feasible becomes impossible to achieve. But there is no change which does not require some effort to achieve. But why is that?
Scientists have found out that it takes much less effort to form a habit than to break it, especially routine habits. So, when the proposal for a change comes, refraining from what is the norm to pick up some new methods or ways of doing things is hard.
But why is something so hard so necessary? Why should anyone subscribe to and embrace change when it comes, talking of the positive, progressive ones. Why can’t we avoid change or changing, if it is too much of a task? Here is a clue. A ‘when to change’ constantly roams the streets of life and everything in it to knock the door of whomever or whatever is due in time.
It could be shocking to know that when we refuse to open the door to change, we miss the growth and experience that comes with it and we miss out on opportunities as we passively toss them to anyone who is armed with the right change. But how do we know the time for change? When we consider our reaction in relation to the situation, when we start to be uncomfortable with happenings around us and we start doing things differently, we might be ready for a change.
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Personally, growing up, as an introverted little lady I rarely talked even though there were many times I really wished to. I had become introverted due to some inferiority I felt back then early in life. But I wanted out so much as I really despised the feeling of having so much to say, having something worthwhile to contribute but not having the chance. I dreaded being noticed but I still wanted to contribute. Oh yeah, you see the irony.
The truth was that the chances were there but I didn’t have the courage to beat it. There were those times I feel insecure to post nice things on social media, and when I finally did, eh, anxiety overwhelms me! Nevertheless, after much ado and self-pity and longing for liberty, I took up the change and embraced the process. Oh how difficult! But I went through it and I achieved the change I consistently desire and deserve.
A treasured quality of perseverance is cogent to successfully complete a process of change for there will be times when the going will not be enjoyable or pleasurable, there will be failures too before success is reached eventually. Courage is another quality to show in the course of transitioning.
Old values would give way to new ones and courage is remain open in the face of new ideas, new experiences which one is not familiar with. Then, resilience. This is the ability to bounce back and get up when one falls. It is the quality that allows one to adapt quickly even when the situation is not familiar.
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The resistance people put up during a course for change is due to some cogent reasons some of which are lack of clarity as regards the purpose for a change, and inability to see the benefit of the potential change.
People in organizations and institutions where a change is to be made fight it so strongly because they think there is no need for change. People feel and say “we’re doing okay, and everyone is okay with the way we are.” They are convenient with being complacent and have least resistance for it. Hmm.
People often do not know the reason why there is a need for a change in the ways things are done. Most organizational culture and leaders fault in this aspect as they only communicate the change to be made and do not communicate the ‘why’ for the change.
By so doing, people do not feel like a part of the company, rather a member of staff waiting to receive instructions from a body of executive and if these instructions are rated too high to be adhered, they resist. It is possible that they comply a few days or weeks before they fall back to their old cultures.
Brené Brown in her book ‘Dare to Lead’ says unclear is unkind, clear is kind. When people are informed of the reason for change and even asked for their views and how they feel about the change, it creates a bond in the organization and individuals have a sense of owning (having a part in) the company.
If people resist change it is because they have not really understood the need for such change. They are not able to begin the process of change because they do not see the benefit of the change just yet – they are unable to see the end from the beginning which is a major drive in achieving both short term and long term goals. Until we are changed in our minds we cannot be changed in our ways!
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Talking about the Nigerian society, a change can lead to a revolution. A change in one aspect of the society can cause a ripple effect. Thereby, causing a change to happen in other aspects of the society. For instance, a positive change in enforcing the laws of a state and ensuring that justice prevail will correlate to a change in how every citizen in the country behaves in accordance to the law. Thereby, reducing kidnappings, killings and all kinds of thefts.
It will not be wrong to say we will have a state inhabited by more patriotic citizens who are willing to invest in their country which in turn draws international investors to come and invest. A change in the health sector will look like this. Supply of machinery and technology for carrying out advanced health care, invention of new vaccines to cure diseases which are yet to have a cure etc.
The school system will be one for a better learning and teaching of the concept of change via intellectual instruments when a change in the school system is attained. Students will be better informed on how to effect a change with what they have been exposed to and their hands have handled in the outside world.
An area where change is constant is in leadership. Permanent managing directors, permanent staff, permanent secretary is not actually permanent in the real sense of the word. After all, they do not get to die before they leave the job; they only last till they retire.
People do not complain about this, they even find the process interesting as they look forward to the tenure of the next governor, or the next president. They understand the reason behind the change and there have learnt to live with it. The place of clarity during change sessions is indispensable.
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However, there are things which are better left unsaid. Like the holy Bible says, “the secret things belong unto our God.” God is all wise and I believe those things which are kept secret from us remain kept for a reason best known to Him. That is why I pray along with the reverend Reinhold Niebuhr that “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to know the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Another thing I pray for is to have all the grace I need to be content with the stage I am at present, the patience to wait when I cannot bring myself to make a change and the zeal to push change through when needs be.
A right change idea is good and making changes is beautiful, more important is our attitude while we pass through the process of change. Making a change will squeeze us, but not so worry, it will only squeeze out the giant potentials we never knew existed within us.
The change we hope for in our lives, in our career, in our family, in our society and in our nation begins if we change ourselves first. For we cannot become an agent of change, if we are not first changed instruments. We cannot give what we do not have!
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