Change is inevitable (from Machines Are the Easy Part)

From Machines Are the Easy Part; People Are the Hard Part. 

Illustrations by Brady Johnson

7. Change is inevitable - except in human nature.

People have been grouching about change for a very long time. Just accept it and change what needs changing.

As far back as 1515, Machiavelli said " ... it ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new."

The very best way, I’ve found to get people from complaining about a particular thing is to give them something new to complain about. That’s one good reason to update your computer systems every now and again. Maybe it’s the only good reason.

8. Change anything and someone is not going to like it.

But some people will. The real keys to getting people to accept a new ways of doing things is to convince them on the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) factors. If you can sell people that the new policy, technology, or plan is:

• Going to make their jobs easier
• Going to make them more efficient
• Going to make them more effective, or
• Going to… no, it has to be one of the previous three.

If the change doesn’t result in one of these things happening, you might want to question what exactly your motive is for asking people to make the change. To make YOUR life easier is not sufficient reason.

 9. The two things you need to make any kind of change are a thick skin and a mission from God.

All of us are sensitive to criticism. I can read 100 workshop evaluation forms and manage to only remember the three or four that were less than enthusiastic. That’s way most people are made. But you must take your shots along with the praise. 

What helps deflect the arrows is faith that what you are doing is in the best interest of others. (Or as the Blues Brothers put it: “We’re on a mission from God.”) Without this faith in yourself and what you do, it won’t take much to turn you back. 

I think Ambrose Redmoon said it best: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”