Change From the Inside Out

Editor’s note: This article is part of Navigating Change, a Next Avenue initiative made possible by the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and EIX, the Entrepreneur Innovation Exchange.

For midcareer business owners and managers struggling to usher in a change, a shift in mindset can make a big difference, says Erika Andersen, author of "Change From the Inside Out: Making You, Your Team and Your Organization Change-Capable."

But to tackle change, it's important first to understand why it can feel so insurmountable, says Andersen, who's also a founding partner of Proteus International, a consulting and training firm headquartered in Minneapolis. Part of the reason is historical.

For thousands of years, peoples' lives were relatively stable. They lived in the same place and often pursued the same work as their parents. So did their children. When a big change happened, it was hugely disruptive, like a plague, a flood or a famine. It was something to fear.

"We're wired to be hesitant and fearful to change and reactive to the new thing," Andersen says. "No wonder it's hard for us."

Embracing change, or at least approaching it with minimal disruption and maximum results, requires rewiring ourselves for living in the 21st century, she says, where big change happens often.

To do that, start with an understanding that your own knee-jerk reaction may be to see the change as difficult, costly and weird, and then manage your self-talk. Ask yourself, how could I reduce the difficulties that might be associated with a change? And how can the change be more rewarding than costly?

"Notice your own negative reactions," she says. "Don't turn away from it. Let it be a warning light, and if you can't think differently on your own, find a friend who can help you to think about it differently."

Perhaps a peer or an acquaintance recently made a similar change. Set up a time to talk with that person. Seeing how they were successful can help you to warm up to your own change, she says. "When someone decides to make a change, it's most often because that mindset changes," says Andersen. "You start to think it's doable and could be more rewarding than costly, and you can support yourself to go through that change arc."

Once you have buy-in yourself, the next step is to help shift your employees' mindset around the change. "For any change to be successful, you have to get a critical mass of people over that mindset hump," Andersen says. "Then they start to behave in ways that change requires."

Know that when change is on the horizon, people will inevitably have three predictable questions. As a manager or business owner, you can help your employees discover the answers, while shifting their thinking away from change as difficult, costly and weird. The first question is, how will the change impact my life? People also want to know why the change is happening. The next question is, what will the change look like for me, practically speaking?

"Having these questions doesn't mean they're resistant, they're just human," adds Andersen. "You can help them through it."

If and when employees react in a way that suggests they think the change is difficult, costly and weird, don't get defensive. Instead, just listen. For example, say "I get it, you're really worried about how sales will react. What can we do to make it easier?"

"When you're unveiling change to people, the single most important thing you can do is listen to them without dismissing them or reassuring them or talking them out of things. It's so respectful and empowering. They're so dramatically relieved you're just listening."

Finally, be patient with your team as you support them through change. Just as it may have taken you weeks or even months to shift your mindset to see change as positive, it will take employees time, too.

Andersen breaks down her change recommendations into five steps:

1) Clarify the change and why it's needed. What is changing and why?

2) Envision the future state. What are you hoping this change will accomplish?

3) Build the change. Put together a change team and a concrete plan.

4) Lead the transition. Address doubts and concerns, give staff resources to help.

5) Keep the change going. This is critical to discovering and addressing unintended consequences.

Rewiring ourselves to better adapt to change is especially important as we age, adds Andersen. People approaching their 60s and 70s tend to be more resistant to change. Part of the reason is that the volume of unanticipated and uncontrollable change goes up, with new health problems or friends passing away.

Most advice about aging well focuses on eating a healthy diet and getting adequate exercise. What's often overlooked are mental principles, Andersen says. A secret to getting old well is to work on this change capability. Be the boss of your own life and modify gracefully. It's a topic she says she intends to tackle in her next book.

"Really the most important thing is that we are capable of becoming more change-capable; it's a developable skill," Andersen says. "We can get good at this — and we have to, because in the 21st century, change is just going to speed up."