CHANGING is painful.
Whether moving to a new desk, working from home, a new menu in your favorite restaurant, or finding a new hairdresser, there is a common denominator: BURDEN.
CHANGE is a process that involves time, energy, willingness, and patience.
In Business, it becomes exponentially more challenging when the person who has to CHANGE something is a manager.
Telling a “superior” that they need to change is intimidating and can trigger what I call “fear of interference.” Briefly explained: “Me, a simple Analyst telling a Director with 20 years of experience what to do?”
There are, however, several steps that can make CHANGE more comfortable and eventually faster at work. Here is a list of behaviors that are likely to trigger continuous CHANGE:
- Be respectful: When talking to a Boss, keep in mind they are responsible for their area. You don’t want to be too direct or too pushy.
- Care for the Goal: If you show that you mind the manager’s goal, they will be more likely to hear your recommendations.
- Work together: Organize brainstorming or ideation workshops. Together you can achieve more.
- Base every recommendation on analysis. When talking or writing, use a prefix that sounds like: “based on the data” or “looking at the numbers.” Avoid the “I think,” “I like.” Opinions can put people off and derail conversations.
- Experiment to promote creativity and reduce fear, use controlled tests. “Let’s try this for two weeks, and then we will see.”
- Be patient: change is not easy. People need to digest and process change.
- Follow up: While being patient is excellent, make sure that changes don’t fall forgotten.
In summary, put in practice a push-pull strategy where suggestions for change come naturally and are more likely to happen.
This article is an excerpt from the GIDAR Analysis Method and is also included in the free GIDAR Analysis Course.
