Change Is Good, Right?
- June 4, 2012
- Posted by: Rochelle
- Category: Running Your Business
I have made a career out of change. In the early days, I worked with Fortune 500 companies, guiding them through gut-wrenching mergers and spin-offs. I co-founded a firm exclusively employing MBA moms, long before flexible schedules were fashionable. And I was there, in a front row seat, when Andersen imploded after the Enron scandal.
I’ve picked up and moved more than once, learning to adapt to—and love—Chicago, Washington DC and now Los Angeles.
Yes, I have prided myself on change.
But this week, not so much.
I finally bit the bullet and hired myself a technology wizard. I searched long and hard to find her—she asked me all those great consultant questions about my business, my vision and how I actually worked day-to-day. She trolled through my systems, made pointed suggestions and we crafted a plan. And last week we pulled the trigger.
It worked! Sure there were a couple of glitches, but 99% of everything operated just like she said it would. And now I’m saving a chunk of time—probably five hours a week—at least.
But did I spend the week whistling about the extra time we created? Nope, I spent it grumbling (thankfully mostly to myself) because I had to learn some new ways to work to be more efficient.
Yep, the thing I most urge my clients to do—that very thing that I perhaps most pride myself on—was excruciatingly, horrifyingly challenging.
I suspect my subconscious knew this and that’s why I waited about a year too long to make the change. That’s 5 hours a week x 52 weeks—I dare not do the math on what else I could have done with that huge block of time.
So, what did this great increase in efficiency cost me? Some coin—which I’ll make up in the first week or two—and some brief moments of cussedness when I couldn’t find what I needed.
One week of grumbling for 250+ hours of newfound time. I’ll take that trade-off any day.
Note to self: walk your talk. Change is good.
12 Comments
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So true. Change is natural yet everyone always seems to resist it. We forget that good things don’t come easy.
Please find the best use of your new found time.
Thanks.
Yes, Rochelle, change IS good! It’s so easy to put off changing what needs to be changed. I find that making small changes on a regular basis is very helpful toward making the larger changes happen.
Enjoy all that newfound free time!
I have always looked at my own “changes” as pivots – a central point from which I make a turn. Changes always seemed so drastic – and final – even the word seems to to make you commit to something that seems permanent (and then you have to change again). If we pivot – we allow ourselves to still have one foot where it feels grounded and the other to make us move in another direction – but then again, maybe it’s just semantics.
Thank you for adding to the conversation–Abzog, Debi and Elaine!
Elaine, I LOVE your concept of “pivot”. So much less threatening than change–something about that one foot helping us feel grounded…
Change is neither good nor bad; it is inevitable. We now live in a differed time and place than did the preiouvs generations. The techno-cyber-information age requires fast- adaptation to the 21st century as never before demanded in this changed world. In simple perseptive —– this world is not just changing – it has changed. Hold onto your hat; there is much more to come.!
Congratulations on what for you was both a time saver and an attitude adjuster. Carleen said it first – change is inevitable. If we and our clients like the product we sell, it need not change much. It sounds like you may have tweaked the product and changed the delivery.
Hi Carleen, Ain’t that the truth? You’re talking to an early adopter and multiple gadget holder who STILL had to change faster. I’m holding my hat!
And K.C. you’re right–it wasn’t such a big change. I just had to laugh at myself for taking so long to do it!
Rochelle,
While the polls state people generally respond well to a message of “change,” I prefer to talk of “reform” — making things better (must be the political animal hiding inside me!). You selected a path to improve how you functioned. The key remains being open to change (that involves improvement).
I often use the phrase, “every good idea finds its time,” and I suspect that happens with your use of a tekkie. It will be something I expect to face when my son (who chose a different career path) no longer remains as available to me as the various tekkies I might otherwise use (I know and like many and fear having to make a choice when the inevitable occurs.).
I think I mentioned I needed to order new business cards when we lunched with my wife and daughter; I took longer than I wanted to place the order (of my design) and within two weeks of getting the nice looking things, something caused me to make the slightest of changes in my title — from “Government and Public Affairs Counselor” to “Government and Public Affairs Counsel” — and I did on my website and all my social media sites, and my e-stationary. I did not throw out the cards — yet (I am trying to accelerate opportunities/ excuses to give them out.).
And I really like Elaine’s use of pivot.
-Corey
LOL Corey!
Sounds like Murphy’s Law at work with your business cards. Isn’t being open to change great?
I am someone who hates change, but I guess that isn’t to odd. Thank you for sharing i’ll look at change a whole lot differently now.
You are not alone Rebekah! But it does seem to be inevitable 🙂