Have you seen this posted on LinkedIn? I have - several times - and I've withheld from commenting until now as the latest post included this comment: "I
This comment really resonated with me - I mean the, like, "Amen, brother!" kind-of-resonated with me... Throughout my career, I've found myself more in the role of holding the metaphorical "round wheel," trying to persuade others as to how it will be better for them and the business. Does that sound familiar to anyone else?
Interestingly, thinking more about how I've approached these "happy with their square wheel" folks, I realized I've found those resistant to change tend to align to certain personas - much like buyers, advocates and influencers - although in this case the persona drivers tend to be fear, ego, lazy, uneducated, etc... To be clear, I'm not talking about change for the sake of change - I'm talking about change that is driven by innovation, collaboration and measurable results (whether those results be success or failure as both are key to a truly innovative culture).
It's always a challenge to try to develop a different perspective among them - it can be rewarding, ideally based on their recognition to improve, although sometimes the reward is based on replacing them w/ someone else who is more willing to consider the possibilities.
So, Topliners, I ask you - are you too busy to improve? If you think you are, why? Or do you work with others that have "too busy" stamped on their foreheads? Is there a gap in my thinking that resistance to change can be aligned to these persona drivers? Are there other drivers? I'm not saying I've never thought this myself - sometimes it's my gut response - but I've learned to say something like "What an interesting idea!" or "That's a great question!" to give myself time to think and then respond with discovery-type questions vs. simply blurting out "But who will do it? We don't have enough people..."
Another tip on wrapping your head around new ideas is to hold a meeting for the purpose of brainstorming the pro's and con's of any particular idea - a safe place, if you will - that allows all participants to freely flow the good, the bad and the ugly. As someone who's worked remotely for over 10 years, I appreciate these "open forum" sessions. Sometimes I even conduct them all by myself with post-it's on a wall.
As always, I look forward to your amazing, insightful feedback!
Cheers,
Kristin