Seeing change as an opportunity, not a threat
In today’s dynamic business world and especially in current circumstances, a lot of us experience constant change. What is true today can already be very different tomorrow. We have lost our sense of security and structure that has become the norm over the past years.
In this very ever-changing environment, people show very different reactions. For the majority, change has more of a negative taste to it, as we feel threatened for our jobs, our routines, and the things we thoughts safe in the past. However, for some of us, and especially those that see themselves as leaders, change is automatically connected to a positive outlook of development and adaptation that can lead to more chances and improvements from the past.
A concrete example, for many businesses the crisis imposes a threat to their finances and to their sole existence. However, besides this being an economic challenge, for others, the crisis can lead to a better way forward. Companies have a chance to reflect and improve things such as processes or technology that should have been improved a while ago.
Change therefore has two sides to it, one negative one of threat and one positive one of moving forward, adaptation and improvement. As always, it depends on the angel we see change from. This concept can be applied to many things in life and comes after the idea whether we see the glass as “half empty or half full.”
Change is a great opportunity to take time to reflect, accept the challenge and move forward. If we accept too much routine and certainty in our life, we forget to develop our skills and mentality, which can lead to even ore frustration and the feeling of boredom. The majority of people therefore like to work in dynamic environments and companies where they experience constant challenges that let them grow. This boldness and acceptance of change is also one of the fundamental values great leaders should embrace and follow.
Ideally not only do we ourselves see change as an opportunity, but we also manage to motivate others to follow the same path and attitude. We have to respect however, that people see things differently, and might not be able to change their attitude towards the fear of change so easily. It is the job of a leader then to see the other side and convince their team members that every change, positive or negative also stands for opportunity and improvement from the status quo. This will make the leader and the team stronger and able to move forward. If we can not only see this for ourselves but also for others, we can really say change is not a threat but an opportunity.
In conclusion, currently we live in a world of constant change. If we decide for seeing this as a threat and negative, we are struggling to find motivation and develop. We can only be certain of things changing currently and we should learn to see this as a good thing, which presents opportunities and chances for development to us, which we never thought we would face before. One thing is also certain, we better develop a positive outlook, as the certainty and security we experiences previously might be gone for a long time, if not forever.
