Moving with changing trends

0

ONCE an individual has been working in a company or the same industry for a long time, there is a tendency for that individual to remain stagnant in terms of their pace, methodology and thoughts.

Many people would choose to stay in their comfort zone as they are familiar with the ways and things around them and they could probably do their work with less effort and time.

They dread change and are rather reluctant to adopt new ideas or ways introduced by either the organisation or their colleagues.

Management usually has a hard time dealing with such employees. They are unable to move along with the company’s current developments.

Not only that, they slow down the pace of their enthusiastic colleagues and cause a lot of delay in their work and as a result end up frustrating their colleagues.

Their refusal to adapt to the new changes in the workplace makes it difficult for others to reason or work with them.

Furthermore, they can be very argumentative and may insist that because their methods worked previously, they should be allowed to continue using those same methods.

These individuals may be very experienced but their knowledge will not be able to benefit the organisation if they choose to employ their outdated ideas or ways in carrying out their work.

The methods that were effective previously need to be reviewed and enhanced to meet the demands of today.

We used to write letters on paper in the olden days but now almost everyone uses email, text messages, and social networks to communicate.

If we choose to stand still and refuse to accept new ideas and move along with the trends of time, chances are that we may miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn and grow.

Needless to mention, success would be very far from our grasp.

How do we stop ourselves from being the stumbling block to the progress of the organisation and to our careers?

First of all, we need to have an open mind about new ideas and changes.

Get more information; ask more questions to clarify our doubts and uncertainties.

Once we have more details on the new changes, we will be more comfortable to adopt them.

We need to put ourselves in others’ shoes.

If we wish to implement a new method and our colleagues refuse to cooperate with us without even making any effort, we would be equally frustrated.

Hence, we need to cooperate with our colleagues in the best way possible so that we will not be the cause of their frustration but rather be the helping hand that works towards the goals.

We need to know our limitations and acknowledge them.

If we feel that we are incapable of adapting to the changes, instead of refusing to change, we can always ask our colleagues to be patient with us if we are slow or unfamiliar with the new methods.

As long as we are willing to move along with the changing trends, our colleagues would gladly help us to cope rather than being stuck with us in the old place.

Many a time, the changes are not as tough as we imagine them to be.

We often have the tendency to magnify any issue, especially those we have little knowledge of.

As we brace ourselves to face and work on the change, we will find it not as difficult as we thought it to be.

And lastly, if we have tried and realised that we are not able to cope with the changes, we should never give up but instead, should seek help to improve ourselves.

We can either take up courses to upgrade our skills, practise more to get ourselves familiar with the work, seek advice and help from the experts, etc.

The most important thing is to have a positive mindset to accept any changes that come our way.

As long as we think we can deal with any changes, we will surely rise above them.

Priscilla Hiu is a career guidance consultant of Gracia Management and a certified behavioural consultant of DISC Personality Profiling System, Institution of Motivation Living, USA and Extended DISC Personality Profiling System, Extended DISC Northgate.