Self-Doubt
Self-doubt expresses itself in phrases like “I’m…not good enough”, “…not clever enough”, “…not qualified enough”, or “I’m stupid”.
Not only do we start believing this about ourselves but we fear that others might see this too. Resisting change helps us to avoid dealing with self doubt.
Putting ourselves down in this way stems from a lack of confidence and a fear of change that stops us taking any action. It literally stops us getting ahead in life.
Building self-esteem and self-confidence can counter the effects of anxiety and get rid of fear of change.
Guilt
People that put others’ needs ahead of their own are likely to feel guilt if they feel the change they need to make will affect others.
You’ll hear guilt in action in the words people use. They use the words “should”, “must”, and “have to” often. So they’ll say, “I really should do xyz”, or “I have to attend the meeting”. Maybe you do this?
There’s a lovely story Stephen Covey tells in his 7 Habits CD set about a student excusing himself from a lecture. When Covey asked why he couldn’t attend the lecture the student answered “it’s because I have to attend tennis practice” (or some similar reason).
Stephen Covey asked him what would happen if he didn’t go to tennis practice and the student said he’d be dropped from the team. “So you choose to go to tennis training rather than attend my lecture”, observed Covey.
Stephen Covey makes the point that we need to be aware of our language, and change our “I have to’s” into “I choose to”, or our “I should’s” into “I want to” or “I would like to…”.
Focus on the individual
employee
The fear of change can be one of the biggest barriers to change at work or in your personal life.
Encouraging the involvement of employees early in the change process and allowing them to be part of the process also leads to lower levels of resistance to change and higher acceptance and engagement in the change.
As successful change management is defined by the ability of people to move towards, and accept, the vision for change it is essential to support the process by focusing on the individual.
Resistance to change is normal. When you are aware of someone’s fear of change your change management planning can support them to make the change.
