Most of us don’t really like change, do we? We tend to err on the side of comfort and safety, and will often choose the ‘known’ over the ‘unknown’ just because it’s familiar, even if the ‘unknown’ holds some great possibilities.

You may have seen the diagram of two circles: one small one with ‘your comfort zone’ written inside it, and another larger one, set apart from the small one, with the words ‘where the magic happens’ (or ‘learning zone’). It is expressing in visual form the fact that you have to move outside of your comfort zone in order for better things, or more valuable experiences, to happen.

There is nothing wrong with staying in your comfort zone. But often the people who do are the same ones who lament that ‘nothing good ever comes my way’ or ‘why are other people so lucky?’. So although there is always a choice to stay comfortable, it comes at a cost.

Sometimes change is forced upon us, and although it can be unpleasant, it should always be viewed as an opportunity to grow and learn. The learning might simply be ‘I don’t want to go through that again!’ and putting safeguards in place to ensure that it doesn’t. But hopefully, it also gives you some impetus to make some intentional change. Not just change for the sake of it, but using what might appear to be a negative turn of events as a catalyst for some positive change.

So often, it is not the changes themselves that stops us (that is, we can often think of positive reasons why the change is good), but it’s the fear of doing something we haven’t done before.

How do you know if it’s the right direction to take? You won’t always know. How do you know it’s going to OK? You don’t. But don’t let that stop you taking action and learning valuable lessons in the process. In the words of George Bernard Shaw: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Change is a process that many people resist. As business owners, we are generally more adept at dealing with change in order to run a successful business. However, managing an effective change process with your staff is another thing entirely. And a big part of a successful change process is creating a workplace that fosters a positive culture of change.

What does this mean? It means that communication between you and your staff should be open – staff should feel they can approach you about concerns and feel that their opinions are heard. This is not to say you must take into account all staff concerns and opinions when making decisions. But the opportunity to be “heard’ is powerful.

A golden rule of managing a change process is to make sure that rumours and half truths about impending changes do not circulate. Staff become nervous about what this means for them, morale decreases and productivity suffers.

Resistance to change comes from a fear of the unknown so it is important to:

• Define clearly what the change will be
• Help your staff understand why the change is necessary (highlighting the benefits for the company as a whole, and the positives for staff) - Give updates as the process develops
• Be clear with staff about what will happen
• Ask staff for their suggestions - Be prepared to understand reasons for resistance and reluctance Above all, be supportive of your staff and lead by example. Being positive about changes, along with a realistic attitude to what those changes mean for individuals, will allow th change process to be much smoother.

In the words of Nido Qubein: “Change brings opportunity”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender