Today I want to talk about evolution.

One of the clear messages I’m hearing from my clients is that their teams are reluctant to change. In all honesty, they’re probably sick of hearing about it. It’s been a hot potato topic for years now.

In my opinion, I think the “why” isn’t getting through to your teams, so today I want to talk about presenting change from a different point of view.

Imagine you’re one of your team members. How is change introduced?

Usually, it’s either with a big fanfare – look at this fantastic change we’re making – or it’s in dribs and drabs. A small change here, a new process there…

For teams, change is never complete. It’s never over and done with.

And that’s the key point you need to make.

It’s not change; it’s evolution.

There’s a huge difference here. Change is usually something that’s thrust onto us.

Evolution is an ongoing process we’re part of which helps us stay relevant and gives us job security. It helps us grow as teams, as businesses and as individuals.

Why is evolution important?

Evolution keeps us relevant in the marketplace. It’s that simple.

Look at Kodak. It still has a great reputation, but it lost its relevance and crashed into

bankruptcy. It was too stuck in its ways to see the full possibilities of the digital age. It’s true they produced digital cameras, but they still concentrated on film. They didn’t move quickly enough and so they were left behind.

Without evolution, your business will decline and there go the jobs and futures of most people working within your organisation.

But there’s more to it than that.

What about social expectations?

Have you noticed the shift in what people will and won’t tolerate from organisations? You would have seen the lists going around on social media listing companies which test on animals or use palm oil in their products. That’s a good example.

People will shop with the organisations which meet their social and personal standards and values.

Taking it one step further, let me ask you this.

Would you work for a company whose morals and values you disapproved of?

No, you wouldn’t.

And neither would most of the people you’re working with.

Evolution means a business can change over time to win a solid position in the marketplace while doing the right thing by the world, the local community and its staff.

Aren’t change and evolution the same thing?

To some extent, they are. Without change, there is no evolution. But look at it from your team member’s position. Change is seemingly random and reactive, while evolution is a permanently ongoing process.

It comes back to the “why”.

I’ve found people aren’t reluctant to change if they know why it must happen. That’s a totally fair thing, isn’t it?

They’ll even tolerate lots of changes over time if they know where they are going and understand the difference they will make. They need to know what benefit the change will bring, and not just to the organisation but to themselves. Our teams are all socially aware and very savvy. They want to know their work is making a difference. If they can see the difference, they’ll support as many changes as you can throw at them.

Are you willing to show your team the “why” behind change?

What I’d love to see this year is all the talk of “people don’t like change” to stop. I’d love to see it replaced with “people are willing to change when they understand why and can see the benefits.”

Changes and challenges are part of daily life. If your team is heading towards change, our Resilience and Mental Toughness workshop and keynote looks at how we can effectively manage through stressful times and provides participants with tools to thrive, not just survive. I’d love to work with you to create a tailored solution to ensure your team and organisation thrives.

It’s not change. It’s evolution, and evolution is great!