[My Wednesday blogpost series is connected to my 2020 4Q program in which I share my personal responses to the questions raised in the worksheets.] 

People often resist change for several reasons. First—fear of the unknown. To help your people overcome this fear you need to be absolutely clear about what you do know—communicate with clarity and communicate it often! But you also need to lead by example with courage—step out in front of your people and begin to explore the unknown. 

Second—fear of loss. With the introduction of change, people first consider what they are losing before pondering what might be gained. So focus first on the problem rather than on the solution. People need to be gripped by need before they embrace a solution. Once you help your people understand what is not working you can refocus them on what will be gained through the new solution. 

Third—fear of failure. Some people never try something new because they fear they will fail at it. Others fear success. Serving leaders need to effectively cast vision and inspire people to step out in faith, helping them embrace a new definition for failures, which is—stepping stones toward success. 

Fourth—people resist change because of personal preferences. They simply like it their way and are unwilling to consider something new. Serving leaders need to work hard at creating dialogue in these cases, getting people to “seek first to understand, and then to be understood,” as Stephen Covey so eloquently put it. A serving leader also needs to paint a vision of what’s best for everyone, helping individuals understand what is gained through collaboration and unity.

Which types of change do you tend to dislike and which ones do you not mind? Why?

Personally, I don’t fear the first, second, or fourth. As a risk-taker I embrace the unknown, seeing it as an opportunity for growth and new adventures. As one who can be overly optimistic, I tend to see only the positives and disregard the negatives which obviously is not always a good thing. Regarding personal preferences, I’m typically willing to give in or compromise for the sake of the group.

However, I do fear failure. I want to reasonably rest assured that I will succeed before I strike out and try something new. I don’t want to look like a fool in front of others and considering my age, nor do I want to waste my time. In retrospect, I can see my past failures as stepping stones toward success, but in the present—they are simply failures that tend to make me question my self-worth.

Now it’s your turn. Which types of change you tend to dislike and which ones do you not mind? Why? Go ahead, write something down…you are a serving leader!