3 Ways to Benefit from Change at Work
Jun 23, 2024
I watched a sandpiper scurrying around the beach looking for something to eat. -At least that’s what I thought he was doing.
But he used most of his time and energy to chase away other birds. If another sandpiper approached his territory, he quickly ran over to chase him off. Then another bird invaded the opposite end of his area and he was off to chase her away.
Back and forth that little bird ran, not eating. Just chasing away the competition.
Do you spend most of your daily energy at work defending your familiar turf, chasing away change like this paranoid sandpiper?
You’ll quickly starve to death if you do.
Instead, use these 3 Ways to Benefit from Change at Work. It’s the same process you employ to wash your hair. (I know this metaphor is at least ironic if not funny coming from a bald guy. Once upon a time, I had hair…😊)
Lather
When you lather your hair, you squeeze out a small amount of your favorite shampoo and work it into your hair.
Applying change in small amounts is best at work, too.
Ask your customers/clients, “What can we do to make your life easier?”
Or, in a team meeting, say, “How can we improve our products/services?”
Or, sit with your vendor/supplier and ask, “What changes are other businesses making to grow?”
Pick one. Just one.
Avoid the overwhelm of “too much.”
Work it in.
Just like with your hair, the thickness of how you work determines how long it takes. If your team has lots of systems, it’ll take a while. If not, you’ll see the change take effect quickly.
First, lather.
Rinse
Second, rinse.
When you finish lathering your hair, you rinse well. Leaving shampoo in your hair damages it.
Think of rinsing your work well as asking yourself two questions about the change you implemented:
- “What worked well?”
- “What didn’t?”
Wash out what didn’t work so well.
Keep what worked best.
Make it a standard procedure in your training and hiring.
Integrate it into your sales process.
Establish as a core value in your culture.
Rinse.
Repeat
Third, repeat.
Do you wish hair washing was a one-time event? Or, an occasional experience? Oh well…
In the same way, create a positive work culture that engages change as a regular, necessary part of growth today…and much simpler than you imagine.
Repeating the change process for positive, profitable culture growth simply means you ask for feedback, listen, and implement with the next group on your list. If you asked customers/clients last time, inquire with your team now. If you discovered your team responses previously, request a reply from your vendor/supplier.
Lather that.
Rinse it.
Then repeat.
You get to choose how to respond to change:
- paranoid like the sandpiper, or
- proactive as you lather, rinse, and repeat.
Paranoia starves your business.
Proactive washing stimulates your culture to grow.
Lather, rinse, and repeat—3 Ways to Benefit from Change at Work.
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