Change isn’t easy for some of us; we resist and worry and wonder. While for others it is in their DNA and they cannot wait for the next moment to shift gears. Change, however, typically signifies growth and without growth we run the risk of stagnation. Wherever you are on the REMAIN/ CHANGE spectrum, the fact is that change is constant. Whether you are an easy adopter, or whether you tend to avoid change, learning how to predict, harness change and live a change-friendly life, will help you avoid stress and mental anguish and basically make you a better member of your team.

I remember in my first administrative role as a school leader, I wanted to make a change in the flow of the school year by shifting to a two-semester year rather than a trimester year. This change, while seemingly quite minor and even ho hum, was met with immense resistance from several members of the senior teaching staff. I pushed it forward in a few different ways, attempted to obtain buy-in from a cadre of colleagues and eventually gave up. I decided this was not my ditch to die in! A couple of years later I found a way to pilot the change in stages and ensured there would be the opportunity for input in the event the change did not seem successful. Even those early detractors liked the change; they even began to claim it as their own! What happened? I provided a greater context and reason for the change and I gave people an out which relieved their fear that there would be no turning back.

Anticipating change, as a leader or a staff member, is a very good soft skill—knowing that change will and needs to happen allows you to stay open to the idea of change. Welcoming that  idea, means that you need to relinquish control; a fear that many people hold. Making the change yours and participating fully in the work involved, places you at the hub of what might be coming down the road. Knowing that change may happen and working to understand the why, the how and perhaps the when, places you fully in the mix of the decisions ahead. And here is where another important power skill comes into place—using your influence to steer the direction of the innovation under discussion.

Another helpful approach to ensure successful change is to pilot the new idea; find some ways to test it out. Use this effort to communicate further about the possible modification, gain feedback and make your final adjustment even better. Make sure it’s a true fully-fledged pilot, perhaps with a defined time for a trial, so that you can continue pursuing it, if it meets your goals. Testing possible advancements for too long can kill the best innovations, however; since there can be a loss of energy and negative data can stymy your best efforts. Define the length of the trial, a budget and a project leader. Go for it and see what you learn.

Interestingly, when we hire a new person in our organization we hope for a change agent. (Let’s be honest, we rarely seek new colleagues who are change averse!) However, the more an organization can embrace the idea of change—as part of healthy growth—the more possible it may be to develop agents of change within the organization too. If openness to change can become part of your organization’s DNA, organic systems and approaches may well develop to encourage leaders at all levels to welcome new shifts and developments that help the organization. When these new employees are hired who are seen as change agents, welcoming them into your place of work provides both support for their work and also the stronger possibility for the change ahead to be sustainable.

Always break your plan for change down into components if it’s possible. Help others see how it affects them and how you need them to make it work. Sustainable change occurs best when a whole team of leaders and users can engage around the concept. The group that coalesces around a proposed change can easily become spokespeople for the idea, translating it for others. Change-resistant types can usually get their arms around an aspect of change that will help them; so try to help them. Creating ownership brings the idea home, avoids the feeling of a loss of control for the change-averse, and ideally puts them on the forefront of a good idea well-executed, effectively introduced and already welcome at the implementation stage.

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