My tips for processing change and making it happen

Welcome to Ryan’s Rant, my weekly newsletter aimed at helping companies drive customer-centric growth.

The funny thing about change is that it’s the only constant in life — but people naturally don’t like it.?

We’re all creatures of habit and change disrupts our regular routines, our lives and our expectations for our careers. It’s always at least a little scary to face an unknown future.?

But I encourage you to get comfortable with leaning into change if for nothing else but your own sanity! In business it’s just part of the game - a game with no rules by the way!

The world doesn’t stand still. Our companies are constantly trying to improve. Our customers are constantly changing preferences. Our brands are constantly facing new competition.?

Adaptability and comfort with change is one of the biggest superpowers in the modern workplace.

You can’t avoid change forever

I often see people fight against change. They want to maintain the status quo. They want to wait to see how a new trend shakes out. They want to stick to what they know.?

But the reality is that things will change no matter what. You may as well be a part of the change.?

For example, new technology will change the way we work and live eventually. The market research industry pushed back against online surveys for so long. But now phone surveys are largely a thing of the past. Did debating over consistent trend lines and historical data change that fact? Not at all. I bet a lot of the people who resisted online surveys wish they had made the switch sooner.?

And AI is obviously the next example. Whether you lean into AI now or wait a while, AI is still changing the world. You don’t want to wait until everyone has AI figured out to get in on it. Because then you’ll be playing catch up.?

Tips for processing change

In a high-growth company like Zappi, we’re changing so many things all the time. We restructure teams, bring on new leaders, play with new technologies, etc. Because we know that we need to evolve to achieve our goals.

So I’ve got a lot of experience dealing with change. Here are my tips.?

Start with an understanding of yourself: Start by understanding your values, your strengths and where you want to spend your time — because that's what defines you. It will help you to come back to this throughout the process to make sure you’re playing to your strengths and spending your time on things that will help you grow. And it will let you know when it might be time to leave a company that no longer aligns with those things.

Get under the hood: Focus on understanding why a change is happening. What are the root causes of the problem? What are some of the solutions? What are some of the ways they can be improved? Rather than resist change, take the time to understand what’s happening and why so you can be a part of it and make more informed decisions.?

Disagree and commit: There are many times when a decision has been made that you don’t support. And if you’ve made your case against the decision and the decision has still been made, you have two options: You can quit (go back to your understanding of yourself to know if this is the best course of action) or you can help make the change successful — called “disagree and commit” by Jeff Bezos. It’s the idea that you can disagree and voice your opinion in the beginning, but do your part and commit once the decision has been made.?

Take baby steps: If you're driving change, think about how you can make it easy for people to adopt. Take baby steps every day that get you closer to your goal without trying to do too much overnight.

See the positives in change: Ultimately, one of the things I think we all need to work on is recognizing that what something was, isn't what something will be. We need to start seeing change as an opportunity to learn, unlearn, adapt and grow. It can be scary, overwhelming or disorienting in the moment, but it can also end up being a change for the better. It’s worth it to work through your feelings and try to see the positive side so you don’t miss out on the opportunity.?

What are you doing to help yourself drive change?

If you missed it

Yesterday I released my newest podcast episode with Jacci Weber from Mars Petcare. It was a great conversation that covered some aspects of dealing with change — including managing AI. Definitely worth a listen!