Are You Professionally Change Reluctant or Change Averse?

Would you describe yourself as professionally change-reluctant or completely change-averse?

Think about it. Each day, you and I wrestle with moving one millimeter beyond our current professional comfort levels. So, we get to where we need to go. Together. One tiny millimeter at a time. This is One Millimeter Mindset™.

When I speak at conferences and chapter meetings, I send out a client-intake form to board members and conference organizers as I customize each presentation. My objective: to better understand how to align my talk with the strategic needs of the chapter, organization and association. Most importantly, I want my conversation with the audience to speak directly to each person. As though my sole concern is meeting their own, unique professional needs. Because accomplishing that outcome is exactly my sole concern.

Often, the response I receive indicates that, while board members and organizers are open to change, they are professionally change-reluctant.

I greatly appreciate their honesty: with me and with themselves. Because they are not alone. Recently, I haven’t worked with one business or STEM professional who was not completely overwhelmed by all the change going on. In our workforces and businesses. Technical change, regulatory change, merger and acquisition change, workforce change, employee and client change and churn.

Thinking about all the change we deal with each day is completely professionally overwhelming, isn’t it?

Our professional lives feel like we continuously try to hit a constantly moving professional target. Consequently, it’s so appealing to hunker down inside what is professionally comfortable, today. And keep doing things the way we are professionally comfortable doing things, today, as well.

As a result, thinking about what is professionally comfortable has three potential outcomes.

1. Either, we become professionally change-reluctant. And continue to comfortably “think” about changing our mindset, habits and toolkits. However, we take no action.
2. Or, we plant our feet. And become firmly set in our current mindset, habits and toolkits, regarding anything new as a threat to our comfort level. Again, we take no action.
3. Then again, some of us choose to learn new ways to do things differently. Consequently, our objective is leading the collective “we” to where they need to go, together. We take small actions which add up over time to have a big impact.

Often, one millimeter moments find you and sweep you beyond remaining professionally change-reluctant.

Our biggest hesitation about professional change versus professional comfort is that there are no guaranteed outcomes, with either position. Often, the one millimeter moments which define us, professionally, result from the most spontaneous and smallest of decisions we make. Together. As we are fully present, in the moment with colleagues, stakeholders and partners.

What are the one millimeter moments, and stories, which define you and your people? How do you tell these stories, today? Do you dismiss or bury the very stories which define your professional purpose and value? Isn’t it time to rediscover what you continuously bring to the business table: today, tomorrow and future-forward?

Then take action, by taking these next steps. Move forward, confidently, beyond all the daily change overwhelm. One millimeter at a time.

Let’s get to where you need to go. Together.

• Planning your next team, corporate or association meeting? Engage me to present one of my One Millimeter Mindset ™ Storytelling speaking programs, workshops or mastermind groups.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I leverage design-driven storytelling to translate across communication disconnects between people and professional disciplines to build Trust. Together, we optimize the strategic business and human capital value of your people and your organization.

• Contact me here. To get to where you need to go. Together. One millimeter at a time.
• I have some great tools in my book, Do YOU Mean Business?to help you discover the untold stories living somewhere in your organization.

Image source: Getty Images / iStock