Respond to change with flexibility

- You've heard it before, the only thing constant in life is change. The same is true in work. How you react to change will play a part in the way your boss, your peers, and other leaders view you. As humans, we are hardwired to crave certainty and stability. When something is changing outside of our control, our initial subconscious reaction is discomfort. And that's your lizard brain talking. Your reptilian brain wants to keep you safe, but those frontal lobes want to get you promoted. And that's what you should be listening to. First, imagine you're the boss and you're presenting some sort of new policy or program, and much of your team is clearly uneasy and upset. How does it make you feel and who looks more leaderly? The people who are annoyed or the people who are just curious? You don't need to suck up and act sunny over everything, but you should always choose curiosity over anxiety. And when you hear about a change, seek to understand before you judge. Find out, what's the business reason for this change? Ideally, this is explained when the change is presented, but even if it wasn't, ask. Sometimes change makers miss explaining simple details or the point of the change. You should understand the positive impact of the change and how it can make the grunt work a little bit more bearable. Ask yourself, who does this change impact? Is it you, your customers, your team? How much of an impact will it have on your daily life? This one can help put change in perspective. While it may seem like a big deal right now, five minutes a day will not be the end of you. You should also ask, what role do you play in the change? It may not require your help at all, or you might have to do a little work like teaching your team how to use a new software. Whatever it is, get clear quickly. Make sure you know what you need to do to do your part. Putting change in context helps you and those around you, better understand the opportunity and the impact of a change and how you can be a part of it. After you understand the context, the best approach is to be all in. If you have serious concerns over this change, and you really think your company is making a mistake, not just a little more work for you, address it in private. Think about it for 24 hours and make sure you're not just reacting to your own discomfort. Look at it from where the CEO or your boss sits. If you're really concerned for your organization, approach your boss and say something like, I'm concerned this will cause X problem. Have we thought about doing Y instead? This is totally appropriate when you have information that senior leadership might not. But if the changes for the betterment of the business, be all in. Well, think back to some huge business changes, the person who didn't want to create an email address or get a website 20 years ago is probably not a CEO today.