Change can happen faster than we think. In the next decade, year, quarter, week, or even this afternoon, there will be surprises, uncertainty, and things we don’t know. We will face disruptions and transformations in our demographics, climate, economies, and political systems.
It’s like fixing a roof when the sun is shining. We should get ready for change before it happens. If we’re not ready, we’ll always be on the defensive, trying to avoid problems. This can lead to our organization falling apart. Here are three ways we can prepare our organizations to do well with constant change.
1. Conduct a “change audit”:
- Look at where change is happening the most in your customer’s lives and in your business, industry, or team.
- Find out what changes are difficult for your company.
- See if there are functions or teams that are better at handling change.
- Identify barriers to change, like team burnout, a culture that says “just deal with it,” lack of trust, and not having the right metrics.
- Get input from all employees in your company. Everyone needs to be ready for change.
2. Put mindset before strategy:
- Leaders should know they can’t control or manage change.
- Start with the right mindset about change.
- When your mindset is open to change, you’ll see opportunities for growth and improvement when changes happen.
- A healthy mindset is when leaders talk about strategy, policies, and talent priorities.
3. Mix constant change into your company culture:
- Make change a central part of what you do.
- Change your mindset, opinions, and expectations about change.
- Instead of feeling anxious about change, be prepared.
- Instead of trying to control everything, understand what really matters.
- As “certain uncertainty” becomes normal, find ways to upgrade your approach to change.
- Make change part of your behaviors, standards, and systems over time.
There’s a new urgency and opportunity for us to handle change. Businesses and leaders need to change how we deal with uncertainty to have a strong and successful vision. Our organizations must be ready to do well in constant change.
