Employees who embrace change get enormous appreciation

One of the most appreciated traits for any employee is the ease in which they embrace change. When an individual gets excited at the prospect of a new process or project, rather than kicking, screaming, and complaining the whole way, it’s easy to understand a manager’s reaction to someone’s ease of moving with instead of against a transition.

While there are good reasons to appreciate anyone who is quick to incorporate new processes into their workflow, we should be equally grateful for those who prefer a slower transition. There can be benefits to both.

Employees either embrace change or fight it. Their choice is often based on their personality make-up as opposed to the actual change itself. Each style has great value; the trick is to manage the benefits of both. Enthusiasm for new ventures is invigorating. Likewise, a thorough understanding of changes can reduce or eliminate unexpected or unintended consequences that could result.

During the past week’s crazy weather pattern, New Hampshire experienced exceptional warm temperatures arriving abnormally early. On an afternoon walk when the temperature read 70 degrees, Grace and I walked upon patches of huge ice blocks that had been catapulted upon the river’s edge. Without time to thaw slowly, these frozen, hard blocks looks so unnatural in their new resting place. They provided a strong visual for the rigid force of resistance — inflexible and awkward. Just behind these solid masses, the fast flowing water demonstrated the ease of fluid movement, absent of any struggle.

People can take on characteristics of ice and water, too. If you have someone who can go with the flow, great. But it’s important to remember than those who aren’t as quick to adjust simply need more time and information, similar to the ice blocks that need time to thaw. It will happen, eventually.

If you know of a big (or even small) change that will be coming along, do whatever you can to alert your team to the pending development. Don’t wait until you have all the answers, they will benefit to being a part of the journey. You shouldn’t drop a bombshell on the team and expect them to embrace it without the opportunity to probe what it means for them. Give them the benefit of time and information to help them felt comfortable, secure, and knowledgeable.

Thriving organizations are ones that have evolving technology, resources, and strategic direction, to name a few. To succeed with all those moving targets, staff has to move along with it. You can help them by managing the transformation in a way that best suits each individual to flow with you.