Change- Part 3

This is the last part of my blog series on change. In Part 1 and Part 2 I introduced a couple of thoughts on the subject. I obviously cannot adequately cover the entire subject since the subject of change is so far reaching. So, I started with two assertions:

• If you are not going in the right direction, you need to change
• Not all change moves you in the right direction

Not all change moves you in the right direction. Duh, you may say. While my statement may sound like it is so obvious, we frequently make decisions that suggest that we do not understand this. I would submit that all of us are uncomfortable, at some level, with change. But there are some that seem to thrive on a steady stream of change. Some folks are restless. They can't seem to stay on a steady course whether it is their educational efforts (changing college major 3, 4, 5 times?) their career (5 jobs in the last 3 years) their relationship (who is he dating this week and wasn't he engaged to the last gal he was with) or (this is her 3rd husband.) I don't really attribute this to someone that is such a dedicated embracer of change but rather someone that can't commit, can't decide or has some other issues going on.

I am an advocate for embracing change. But it needs to be change that improves, change that advances a cause or a process, change that makes a positive difference. We love change that improves convenience and change that makes us happier and change that makes us more comfortable. But not all change feels good. And, worse still, not all changes move us in the right direction.

It would be easy to interject political issues into the discussion here but I am hesitant to use that for this blog. Examples would be current debates about immigration reform, definition of marriage, and tax reform, all of which would represent significant change. But, I will leave those subjects for a later time.

Have you ever made a change and realized later that your change was a bad one? Have you ever switched jobs, ended a relationship, relocated, switched churches, stopped a routine, or let an employee go and discovered later that you had made a mistake? Many changes we make in the course of our lives are relatively innocuous and, even if we make a mistake, the consequences are miniscule. But there are other changes that can have a major impact on our life or the lives of others. It can have a major impact on our organization, our business, our community, our church. And the impact may not be positive. People walk away from relationships or enter into wrong ones. People make rash decisions and quit their jobs. Folks get frustrated and leave churches that have been family to them for years. Others change operational processes in businesses only to realize that it not only didn't improve the business, but damaged customer and/or employee relationship, wasted money, hurt morale and caused good workers to leave. People that claim to be change agents but lack the skills needed to understand how change should be identified and implemented can do great harm. Still others that beat the drum of change but have no real stake in the outcome can make a mess.

Another aspect of change is the law of unintended consequences. Again, political decisions or law changes are ripe fruit for picking here. When businesses decide to change pricing, change marketing strategies, or product offerings they have to know that those changes will likely result in their competition responding with changes of their own. Before making the change a business should ask, "if we change this, what do we expect our competitors will do?" This is sometimes referred to as game theory. Changes we make will often result in others making changes in response. And we may not like the result.

Change can be a very good thing. Even if you are moving in the wrong direction, not all change moves you in the right direction or even a better direction though. For this reason, changes, especially those that are important, should be done with appropriate forethought. Change stemming from frustration, anger, pettiness, immaturity,  ego, laziness, or greed can turn out badly. Well thought out change can make significant improvements in lives, health, relationships, groups and organizations.

Do you need to make some changes?