CHANGE IS A MUST - How people deal with CHANGE!!

We have been meeting in the new building for our Sunday services for 18 months now - which is great but will soon be too small!! (Good problem to have) West End Impact however has moved in to the new premises on the 28th February when the rest of the building was finished, apart from reasonable DIY. What I have been absolutely astonished by though is the insecurity, negativity and questioning this small move has brought on for quite a few people. It has shocked me as a person who, I suppose thrives on change, and I have found it quite interesting how people have or have NOT cope with it!! As a leader I see a problem and immediately am looking for a solution, so I find it intriguing how some people can not overcome the smallest of issues sometimes - I don't want to criticise or put anyone down, but I sometimes wonder how people cope with bigger problems when they cope so badly with the little problems. I know sometimes its lack of self esteem and confidence issues that cause people to question, and I strive to build this up in my volunteers!!!

 I read a book a few years ago that talks about this very issue of how people deal with change - it's called Who moved my Cheese by Spencer Johnson MD and I highly recommend people read it, what ever organisation or situation you find yourself in that is dealing with any level of change. It's a parable and it has 4 different characters in it, who all deal with change very differently. I guess its essential to know within any organisation who you're people are and what capacity they have to deal with issues problems and circumstances, especially when it comes to leadership and management. Change is essential for any organisation to grow no matter how big or small it is and when something is not moving forward or growing, it is obviously becoming stagnant, as that's what things do when they stand still. For an organisation to grow it has to be on the move - but it's how we implement that change which is essential. On the one hand we can not allow 'Late Adopters' as the book calls them, to hold an organisation from moving forward, but on the other hand if you have change for changes sake you confuse people and make them insecure and they can't cope.  I have tried hard in the move of our premises to move things as slowly as most people can manage with but still some people have found it really hard. Some people will be left behind and we can only try and nurture them into the new change but if they dig their heals in and refused to be moved forward they will miss out and probably go - but the ones that don't will realise, either quite quickly, or eventually, that change just has to happen!! Change is the biggest constant of any organisation!! It's not negative its good and can open things up to new opportunities and growth - don't fight embrace it and learn to deal with, or you will remain stagnant and miss out!!