When dealing with change, attitude plays a vital role. A positive mindset can make a tremendous difference in embracing events around you during change, ultimately changing your attitude. Think of changing your attitude, similar to switching channels on a television. If you don’t like what you see, switch to a channel you enjoy. There’s no reason to keep watching something you dislike. A negative attitude affects you and those who have to work with you. It’s like being forced to watch an unpleasant show day after day, which can lead to months. Unfortunately, others can’t switch to a more positive channel when dealing with your negative attitude. When controlling your attitude, it takes no more energy to have a positive attitude than a negative one, maybe even less. In this blog post, change management expert Peter Garber will walk through the importance of attitude during change and then will go through the free change management assessment.
Don’t miss this intriguing webinar from HRDQ-U
Don’t miss this intriguing webinar from HRDQ-U
More Turbulent Change
Why Is Your Attitude Important during Times of Change?
Your attitude can be your best defense against making your greatest fears about change come true. Like in sports, attitude is everything. Ask yourself, would you rather be on a team with a winning attitude with less talent or one with more ability but a poor attitude? Which team do you think would have the greatest chances of success?
Similarly, what kind of attitude would you want the people you have to work with? Do you want to work with someone who has nothing more than a survival attitude and just doing what is necessary to get by? Probably not, and neither do the people you work with either.
The funny thing about attitudes is that we can often see other people’s attitudes more easily than our own. This is particularly true when it comes to bad attitudes. It may seem that everyone else might be commenting about someone’s poor attitude, but that individual is oblivious that a problem even exists. Sometimes, we need to take an introspective look at ourselves to understand better how others may perceive us. This needs to begin with some personal assessment of ourselves.
Change Management Attitude Assessment
Your attitude determines how others see you. However, sometimes it may be for you to understand how others perceive your attitude. The following assessment is designed to help you understand your attitude as seen by others in the organization.
Scoring: Give yourself the corresponding answer number you selected as the score for each answer you chose and add the numbers together.
1. How often do you find yourself engaging in conversations with others in the organization where you are complaining about something related to changes recently made?
1. Daily
2. Weekly
3. Occasionally
4. Once in a while
5. I don’t ever do this
2. How often do you complain to your boss or supervisor about changes being implemented?
1. Daily
2. Weekly
3. Occasionally
4. Once in a while
5. I don’t ever do this
3. How often do you make suggestions to help implement changes being made at work?
1. Never
2. Seldom
3. Occasionally
4. Sometimes
5. Frequently
4. How often do you speak positively about the changes being made?
1. Never
2. Seldom
3. Occasionally
4. Sometimes
5. Frequently
5. How often do you try to make changes work more effectively, even when you are more comfortable doing things the way you are doing them?
1. Never
2. Seldom
3. Occasionally
4. Sometimes
5. Frequently
6. How often do others see you as an innovator and one of the first to try something new or different?
1. Never
2. Seldom
3. Occasionally
4. Sometimes
5. Frequently
7. In general, at what point during the implementation of change in your organization do you accept and work towards making it work?
1. Only when I have no other choice.
2. When I see everyone else adapting to change.
3. After I have seen if the changes will work.
4. Shortly after, it is introduced and implemented.
5. When change is first introduced
8. If given a choice, the choice between changing or keeping things as they presently are, would you:
1. Keep things exactly as they presently are.
2. Accept change only after you are convinced that the new way will be better than the old way.
3. Wait and see what the new changes would involve before making a commitment either way.
4. Consider accepting the change after thinking about it for a day or two.
5. Try a new way right away.
9. Which do you value more, tradition or innovation?
1. If given the choice, I would always choose the traditional way.
2. Tend to stay with that proven successful over time.
3. Depends on the situation and circumstances.
4. Tend to think innovation leads to growth and development.
5. If given the choice, look for the most innovative way of doing things.
10. How would you describe your attitude toward change?
1. I hate it.
2. Skeptical and usually resistant.
3. Neutral, I go with the flow.
4. Know that change is inevitable.
5. Believe change is synonymous with progress.
The following represents your attitude about change based on your responses:
Score
40-50 -You are truly a champion of change
30-40 -You are moving towards accepting change
20-30 -You could be convinced to change
10-20 -You are very skeptical when it comes to change
10 -You do not like change!
What Are Your Results?
Think about your results from this change management assessment. Are you satisfied with your results, or do you need to improve your attitude during change? Imagine how having a more positive attitude about change could help you deal more effectively with change in the future.
Peter Garber is a retired human resource professional with over 35 years of experience working for a Fortune 200 corporation. During his career, he held a variety of HR roles, including assignments at manufacturing facilities across the country, and later spent twenty years at the company’s corporate headquarters. He is the author of over 50 books and learning activities on HR and business-related topics. He has been frequently invited to present seminars and webinars, including international conferences and colleges, based on his works. Mr. Garber was also an adjunct instructor at the University of Pittsburgh Business School.
Mr. Garber has written two books on change – Turbulent Change and a follow-up book, More Turbulent Change, published by the Association for Talent Development (ATD). This presentation on change is one of his most popular programs.
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More Turbulent Change
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