Changing is not an option

I once had a guest lecturer come to a Monday night class I was teaching at a local university and talk about her role in a field called “Change Management”. My friend is an expert at getting people to understand and adjust to change. At first I couldn’t believe that a company would actually pay her to buffer between the change makers (executives) and the change victims (the associates/staff). After her lecture, it was clear that most everyone except babies hate change.

On a team change comes in a plethora of forms (i.e. Coaching changes, offensive/defensive changes, player changes, objective changes etc.) and all of these usually encounter resistance. Familiarity is king in America and change is his arch nemesis. The older I get the more it’s clear that very few people like criticism because it would require them to change. In family, sport and business people refuse to look closely at themselves by inviting the perspectives of outsiders because only  “my opinion” matters. My opinion can be mine or that of those who think just like me but either way it’s inbred thinking and I’ve been told that most inbred things are malformed. Don’t quote me but I was told casually that dogs, for instance, develop defects in certain organs when they’re bred “too” purely.

There is a time for change in thought and deed, not for the sake of doing something different but so that you might become more aligned with truth. If you don’t like “changes”, there’s a non-exclusive club and a membership card for you (not really). If you’re brave enough to accept criticism, improve weaknesses and have non-emotional straight conversations then you are well on your way to living life the way it was intended – without delusion or pretense.