The Success of Change - Frustration, Passion, Hope.

Change. We all go through it and yet most people are frightened by the thought of it.

So we know change is a process, fine. We manage it, monitor it and continuously try and improve upon it. But what determines change? When is the right time to change and how do we successfully change something we don't like?

 

I read something from Seth Godin recently which said:

"Frustration wakes me up.

Passion gets me moving.

Hope keeps me going."

I agree with this and for some reason, these words were ringing through my head all day long. Perhaps it is time to put some perspective into this.

 

Frustration - A critical driving force and in order for a change to take place, there must be some element of frustration behind it. Why fix something that is not broken? This is a common perspective when someone is clearly not frustrated enough to order a change. Therefore if you feel this way towards a situation, then it is clearly not the time to change. As an example: A smoker will never start to quit smoking unless he is clearly frustrated by the financial. health or social impact of this habit. If you want a friend/loved one to quit smoking, build up his frustration and you'll be surprised at how effective it can be.

 

Likewise in business, if I were to draft up a change management project team, it would comprise of key people who are "frustrated" by a certain process/product to spearhead this change process. That way, your stakeholder buy-in is clearly at a 100%. Never select influence over frustration as you can only influence a person that much. It is better to let the clearly frustrated play an active role in the change management process.

 

Passion - A person's passion is his biggest asset and if this person is passionate about changing something, it WILL BE DONE! Passion in this instance, can and should be managed. A little motivation is all that's needed. Fuel the passion, you must, and watch it infect those around. Peer pressure, encouragement, monetary gains, recognition, etc. These are all Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in motivating and fuelling a person's passion towards change. If you want to change successfully, you need to be passionate about it and be around similar people who share the same passion for change.

 

This is the reason why group therapy or awareness/focus groups help! You're virtually surrounded by others who are in similar positions or share a similar passion! Create your own focus group if you have to. You'll be amazed at how far this will go in ensuring your success!

 

Hope - Only when you believe, will you succeed. I personally believe that the main reason people fail is because they lose hope. Hope in themselves, in others or perhaps the system that they once believed in. Once you lose hope, you've lost the battle.

 

To quote Martin Luther King "Everything that is done in the world is done by hope!"

 

This is the main difference between an optimist and a pessimist. And believe me, NO ONE is ALWAYS an optimist or pessimist. An optimist can still be pessimistic and vice-versa. The difference is in the mind. Choose what you want to see but know that there are always 2 sides to a coin.  I have personally spent a great deal of time addressing and working on pessimistic people in both work and life. Believe me when I say that it can be reversed. In most cases, it can easily be achieved if you spend a little time finding out why. Once you discover the root of pessimism, address and eliminate it. Don't let it fester and grow cancerous. It can absolutely destroy everything you believe in!

 

There it is, my simplified two-cents worth on a very complicated topic on change management.

 

Perhaps the sceptic in some of us may disagree and if so, I urge you to look at the ideology of change in its simplest of forms. Just do it!