Are You Changing or Getting Changed?

In today’s world where everyone seems to have a differing point of view, there is one thing that everyone can agree on.

The world is going through massive change.

Duh, right?

Here’s the deal. You can either harness change to enable a positive transformation in yourself or your business or you can let it transform you. The problem with the latter is that if you are not the master of your domain, the change you experience is usually not what you desire.

Successful companies have rules that drive their business. Some call them processes, mottos, slogans, sayings, or adages. I call them Power Principles.

Try this Power Principle on for size: Success-oriented companies are not only open to change; they embrace it.

Sadly, like most things in life, there are only the top 10% who practice this Power Principle. Most companies just let stuff happen and then either complain, retreat, give up, or all of the above.

How easy is it to be in the top 10%? It is simple, and I will cover that. Moving forward, I’m going to refer to the individual as interchangeable with the company because companies are made up of individuals. Most organizations take on the “personality” of the collective group of individuals or the companies’ managers or leaders.

So, why do people resist change? It is simple. Most people do not like change. The uncertainty of the unknown can be stressful and often creates fear. No one likes uncertainty but no matter how hard you try; you can’t completely mitigate it.

One of the biggest results of not effectively dealing with change is a lack of confidence. People are fearful of that which they are not familiar with. They take the safe and easy route. They want to hang onto what they have to the detriment of maybe getting something better. They are afraid to take the calculated risks that most successful companies do to thrive. They continue to do the same things repeatedly because even though it may not be getting the desired results, it’s easier than doing something different. It reminds me of that old saying “Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.”

Companies that are not open to change cannot see reality for what it is – you can’t see the train that’s coming at you that’s going to splat you! And then it is too late.

There is nothing wrong with living by the flow. Living by the flow means that you accept that which happens in life as inevitable. But it is how you react to the changes that life brings you that will determine whether you will live a happy, successful, and fulfilled life. When you are not open to change you have no control over anything in your life. If you just let things happen you get life. If you plan for how you will handle things that happen you get the best of life.

We are all in control of only one thing in our life. That is how we react to the situations that life brings to us. You cannot control external factors, but you can control internal motivations and strategies on how to deal with change.

So, what is the solution? The solution is realizing that change is an emotional experience. The one thing that we do have control over in our life is our emotions. Also, understand that change always results in a loss. Sometimes it’s just loss of the status quo. But, at the same time, you lose something you always gain something. Focus on that which you will gain and your ability to accept change will grow exponentially.

What rewards can you expect to reap by accepting change?

First, you have the certainty, the confidence that ANY hurdle that comes your way, you can handle it and overcome it! Second, you will never be a victim. You will be victorious!

When you accept, embrace, and seek change, it puts the ball in your court and places the direction of your life in your own hands. It allows you to be proactive and not reactive. You are no longer a victim controlled by outside forces. You make the choices when you embrace change.

As a testing professional who consults with companies, I see a lot of “hanging onto the status quo”. It feels good. It feels safe. But it holds companies back from achieving greatness.

The wonderful thing about change is it forces you to decide. Staying where you are is a decision. But the better decision is to re-examine your operation, your purpose, your reason for being in business, and then modify your thinking to take advantage of the change that is occurring.

If you want to leverage the power of change to your advantage, follow these three simple steps:

1. Accept change an inevitable and a natural occurrence in life.
2. Analyze and write down all of the positive things that you expect to come about because of the change.
3. Put together a plan or strategy to deal with or incorporate the change so that you can realize the positive benefits that you listed in #2.

If you are a testing professional in either QA or Development and want to discover how you can embrace change to improve your operations the best place to start is to step back and examine where you are today. One of the big changes going on in the testing space is virtualization. Many people have been forced to work remotely because of COVID 19. The best way to continually keep yourself and your employees healthy is to embrace this and to create fully virtualized testing environments. Not only will it fit into today’s business operation, it will also allow for significantly increased levels of time-saving automation.

If you’re ready to dig a little deeper, click HERE to schedule a 15-minute phone call with me where you can learn more about test technologies available to companies just like yours.

I encourage you to look at the massive changes going on around you as an opportunity. Seize it and you will thrive!

Rich

About the Author

Dr. Richard Greene, DBA, has more than 30 years of experience as a sales executive and testing professional. He is active in sports and is a 7-time Ironman finisher and ultra-distance open water swimmer. Rich also has a passion for helping others to achieve peak performance in their personal and professional lives.

As a Sales Director at Ascert, he draws upon this passion for excellence to help companies realize their highest levels of efficiency and business potential. Using the industry’s leading technology from Ascert, his customers can achieve unprecedented levels of testing productivity and performance in their organizations.

Contact Rich at: RichG@Ascert.com or 415-339-8500 x5125