The only constant is change.

This is likely a phrase that most are familiar with. An organization that doesn’t change will eventually fade away and become irrelevant. This fate is not always a guarantee, however, the likelihood of reaching this result is increased when an organization becomes complacent and believes “this is the way we’ve always done it.” This way of thinking is definitely short sighted and it wouldn’t be hard to argue that it can be self destructive.

How to embrace “change.”

Change doesn’t have to be scary. Sure, it will likely require one to enter into unfamiliar territory, but, that doesn’t mean that it has to be a painful experience. Within each organization, there needs to be those visionaries that not only see the current state of the business, but also has a glimpse of the future. These people are the ones that lead the charge with changing the status quo and it’s even more important for these individuals to be in a leadership role. By not being afraid of facing the unknown, these individuals will help plant the seed of change and guide those around them through the process of embracing change.

Your team may have certain practices and processes in place that seem to work fine. Trying to dispute that on face value won’t win anyone over. What should be proposed instead is a view of reflection. This reflection is often explored within software development through the use of sprint retrospectives. These retrospectives require that each sprint (development cycle) be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Identify. What did we do well? Identify what went well during the respective sprint.
• Analyze. What can we change? Isolate what could have been done differently to avoid a negative outcome.
• Execute. How can we implement that change? Determine a plan for implementing the change to avoid a negative outcome in the future.

Work together.

Change is not about “your way is wrong and mine is right.” The process of change is a collaborative process that requires that everyone keeps an open mind. The more inclusive the process is, then the more likely it is that there will be buy-in amongst your team. Without adequate support, change is very difficult to implement, even if it starts at the very top. Any great leader will tell you that the key to their success is not due to ruling by force. Instead, a great leader leads by inspiration.

Moderation.

While it may seem counterintuitive to everything stated above, there is a line where change can be bad. This line is typically crossed when change occurs too rapidly, often solely for the sake of embracing change. There will certainly be times when a change is realized to have been a bad move. In these situations, it is certainly reasonable to adjust the direction, and rightfully so. The aspect that we’re focusing on is when a change is abandoned before it is reasonably explored. If change occurs too rapidly, then your team will experience burnout and the destination will likely be much worse than the starting point.