Salespeople have an infamous mantra, “Always be closing.” That phrase has several meanings:
- Close the sale for the salesperson.
- Close the options for the buyer, so they don’t continue to look for alternatives.
High-integrity sales work well for both the buyer and the salesperson. But notice that there’s no adaptability there. The situation closes.
Instead of always be closing, what if we chose “Always be changing” as a personal mantra, a focus for our lives? What would we have to do then?
We’d have to acknowledge the world is changing—often much faster than we realize or are comfortable with. We might rethink our careers, how we choose to live, and which relationships we continue to work on.
Yeah, that the “everything’s changing all the time” issue.
However, the more we become comfortable with change, the easier it is to change. The first secret is how we can reframe change from passive to active.
Secret 1: Reframe Change from Passive to Active
Many of us—and I include myself—often think change is something that happens to us. Sometimes, it does, as in physical injury or my vertigo. There is nothing I could have done to prevent my vertigo. And while I can’t change it to remove it from my life, I have choices about how to manage it.
I’ve made all kinds of physical choices to manage my vertigo, from changing what I eat to changing how I exercise. That’s because I choose to be active in my changes.
We can do the same kinds of things when we choose to change jobs or careers. Or when we rethink how our personal relationships affect us and then choose our next action.
The more we choose our next action, the more we take an active choice in our changes. We’re not letting someone else dictate our futures.
We can only do that if we choose to generate options and explore alternatives.
Secret 2: Generate Options and and Explore Alternatives
Professionally, I’ve been coaching leaders for years. And one of my “secret weapons” is how I help people create options and then explore the consequences or results of those alternatives. Here’s my general approach:
- Ask questions, so the two of us understand the problem. We might need to collect some data here.
- Then, generate options. I remind the two of us that we need to use the Rule of Three, or we will encounter traps of either/or thinking.
- Once we have options, we can discuss the results, alternatives, or steps involved in each option. This is where we discuss the consequences of each alternative.
I wish I could say this was easy. But to even entertain options, we need sufficient resilience. (See What’s Your Tolerance for Risk vs Resilience? and How Do You Build Your Resilience? for suggestions.)
Now, it’s time to create some short experiments.
Secret 3: Create and Run Short Experiments
This is where societal or employer-generated change might mean you feel as if you don’t have the space to run experiments. If your company lays you off, do you have the time to generate options for finding a new job? Even if you worry about grocery or rent money?
I say yes. If you’re like me, acknowledge your nervousness and concern about the future. That’s your reality. Now, I gamify my system.
- How can I both apply for jobs where I am an ideal candidate and rework my resume to apply for something new?
- What would it take for me to do so?
- Can I find the time and the energy? What can I postpone to make my dual experimentation possible? (I always postpone cleaning my office, but you are probably different.)
You can apply these ideas to any change. It’s easier for me to see and change when it comes to my work. I find it challenging to take that first step regarding how I live and where. And personal relationships? I’ve gotten good at cutting those energy-drainers out of my life. And I continue to practice to decide out how to travel and live safely.
We can’t be like salespeople, always closing. Instead, as adaptable people, we can use these three secrets to focus how we choose to change. Regardless of whether we initiated that change or not. I don’t have to change everything all the time. But the more often I practice changing, the more resilient I become and the better my results are.
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Till next time,
Johanna
© 2024 Johanna Rothman