What is Change?

Change is any planned or unplanned shift in the way things are now. Change is a deviation from expectation.

Daryl Conner offers a terrific observation about change: “The level of change is best measured by the degree to which individual expectations are disrupted, and the time taken to recover from the disruption.”

Change can be positive or negative. When change happens, it requires an internal adjustment process. How do you deal with change? What is your adjustment process?

Whether it is a change in your personal life, professional life or in the world around you, there are a variety of ways you can respond. Here are some options:

1. Shrink – Recoiling or withdrawing from change is a reaction. This puts you in an adversarial position with the change. This position drains energy and impairs your ability to focus on positive forward actions.
    
2. Denial – Pretending the change did not happen may make you feel better…until reality hits. Denying change does not make it go away, it’s simply a delay of responding to the change.
    
3. Rethink – Shift your perspective; change creates opportunity. Look at the change from a new point of view, and determine the best next course of action to leverage the opportunity. 

Whether you pull back, deny a change happened or rethink the change – you have a choice in how you react. The power you have is in your decision. When you are confronted with change, choose your response intentionally.  Don’t shrink – rethink!