MODERN THINKING
Adapting to change – what
matters most?
I
By Jenny Brockis
t can be difficult to avoid change;
it’s everywhere. But why would
you want to? Change is nothing
new. We have always had change
and welcomed it. It signifies growth
and possibility. It enables us to
adapt and thrive. It’s just that in a
surfeit of change it can feel all start
to feel just a tad overwhelming,
tiring and tedious. What matters
is knowing which change is worth
going for.
In our crazy busy world with all our
modern technologies, access to
data and need for speed, adapting
fast and in the right way matters.
While much change is seen as good,
necessary and highly desirable, let’s
face it some change can feel like it’s
change for change’s sake, or an ego
16 ModernBusiness
April 2016
stroke, or a desperate attempt to
appear up to date and relevant.
What are the obstacles to
change?
There are three main culprits.
You. Me. Us. The biggest obstacle
to achieving a desired change is
ourselves. Your brain loves novelty.
Any change in our environment is
picked up by your internal brain
scanner and determined as being
either something potentially
rewarding such as food, or potential
danger such as a truck bearing
down on us about to squash us flat.
Because the brain operates from a
safety first perspective, the default
setting is set to foe, so any change
sets off the alarm bells. Your levels
of stress hormones (adrenaline
and cortisol) rise and your body
prepares to fight, take flight or
freeze.
Fear of change is what stops us
in our tracks. Leading effective
change is all about knowing how
to break down the sticky walls of
change resistance and changing our
perspective.
Safety First – Start with Why
Self-initiated change isn’t the
problem. It’s when change is foisted
upon us we get into difficulty.
Putting yourself in a “towards”
state of change acceptance starts
with understanding the purpose
of the proposed change or why it
matters. In his Ted Talk “Start with
Why”, Simon Sinek explains how