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Hating Change

Written by Mitch McCrimmon

We can't easily change our basic personalities.
But we can change how we behave.
For example, introverts don't like a lot of interaction with others, but they can find ways to spend more time with people that fits their style.
Extraverts like to talk a lot, but they can modify this tendency by asking others more open questions to encourage them to talk more.
Don't think about what you can't do, ask yourself what you can do.
Here are some keys to successful personal change:
Focus on what you can change, not what you can't.
Motivation - there must be a stronger benefit for changing than for maintaining the status quo. What will you gain by changing?
Little point trying to change because somebody else wants it.
Self -management - set goals, timeframes, monitor your performance and get ongoing feedback. As they say: ''What gets measured gets done.''
Often ''can't change'' means ''don't want to change''. Do you fully understand what is motivating you to behave as you do?
How clear are you about the benefits to you of changing?
Have you tried making as long a list you can of the benefits to you of changing?
What successes will you gain by changing?
What minimal change will reap maximum benefits for you?
If you see none, how can you re-frame your situation to create benefits of behaving differently? For example, if you find it hard to delegate, but re-frame your role as a coach or strategic thinker, you might then see benefits of delegating that weren't obvious before.