Not So Fond of Change

The company where I work recently merged with another firm to form a brand new organization. As the engineering marketing manager, it was my job to announce the merger and promote it among our clients and other business associates. As part of this effort, I put a post on the LinkedIn website, and concluded the message by saying that we’re all “looking forward to this new adventure!”

A guy I’ve known for years in the industry saw that post online, and gave me a call. First, he said, “Congratulations.” Then he said, “You really can’t be looking forward to this, not at your age, right?”

I immediately replied, “Of course I’m looking forward to it. This is going to be really good for us.”

Then I paused for a moment and said, “Hey, wait a minute. What do you mean, ‘Not at my age’?”

He replied, “Well, you know. You’re not a spring chicken anymore — and neither am I — and people our age just don’t like change.”

I indignantly said, “Hey, I’ll have you know that I am a big fan of change. I love change. I embrace change! This merger is a wonderful change, and I am looking forward to it!”

He waited a bit, then asked, “But how do you REALLY feel about it?”

I said, “I’m nervous. I don’t know what to expect.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said.

OK, so maybe I don’t exactly embrace change. Maybe I occasionally resist change. (I am, of course, using the definition of “occasionally” that means: “every single time.”)

As I often do whenever I’m facing a momentous situation, I turned to the one true source of wisdom: Google. (No, I’m kidding. My pastor would not appreciate that smart-aleck comment. The one true source of wisdom is, of course, the Bible. But for the purposes of this alleged humor column, I’m going to cite Google for now.)

A quick Google search uncovered many comments regarding change. Here are some, plus my parenthetical thoughts:

• “Change is never painful. Only the resistance to change is painful.” (No, change is not never painful — uh oh, a double negative. I mean, sometimes change itself is painful, but I agree that resisting change makes it worse.)
  
  
• “I like progress, but I hate change.” (Sounds clever, but I’m not sure what it means.)

• “I hate change more than almost anything.” (OK, that’s going a bit too far.)

• “People don’t resist change, they resist being changed.” (No, I’m pretty sure we resist change, too.)

• “Two reasons why people hate change: 1. People fear the unknown. 2. There are always people profiting from how things are.” (I guess that’s true.)

• “People love change — when it’s about changing others. People hate change — when it’s about changing themselves.” (Since I’m not a politician, I don’t have a burning desire to change other people.)

• “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.” (Remaining the same but getting better. Now, that’s not too much to ask for, is it?)

At this point in my life, I’ve been around the block enough times (see “spring chicken” comment above) to know that the only thing that never changes is the constant rate of change. (Hey, wait a minute. That’s a good one. I should get quoted in a Google search.)

I've done a pretty good job conquering my fear of change, especially since I finally realized things are going to change anyway whether I’m on board or not. So, with the major changes happening at work, I can honestly and confidently declare: I am looking forward to this new adventure! (I think.)