In my last blog, I talked about how one of the keys to effectiveness was about how quickly you (and others) can get through the change curve.
Resistance to change is an inevitable thing at all times, be it from adapting to a new job, a new country, a new shampoo; literally anything that has brought about change. When change strikes everybody goes through different reactions usually starting with:
shock, then
denial/doubt, then
anger/blame, then
bargaining/self-blame, then
depression/confusion, before moving onto
acceptance, and finally
joy (yes there are positive feelings too)
What makes it more interesting, as we're all experiencing change all the time, we can be at different stages of the curve on different change journeys at the same time. To be honest I think I'm currently grappling with the denial and bargaining sections on at least 2 big recent changes in my life but the good thing is I can see the way forward.
Anyway, to bring this all to life this festive season, we here at Shiageto have pulled together 31 of the most common resistances to change and written them in the spirit of giving someone a Christmas gift that they don't like (for simplicity, imagine you're giving a gift to your parents and these are the responses they might say). Although written in the Christmas spirit, with a little tweaking they can apply to any situation (we've also helpfully grouped them against the stages of the change curve to help you out).
So, if you fancy a bit of fun this Xmas, why not play a little game and count off how many of these come up when people around you receive gifts. If you're feeling really daring, you can even turn it into a family game of Bingo (if you want tips on how to do this drop me a line) or even a drinking game (not for the kids though).
Hopefully you don't get any of these and every gift is a winner but we think you may be surprised ;).
Whatever the gift response, we hope this festive season is full of joy and relaxation for you all.
Faris Aranki
CEO & Founder, Shiageto Consulting