In my last post, I said, “Change is always hard and almost always worth it. Even the change we are excited about is hard. You purchase a new home and are so excited about moving in, but packing the boxes and moving the furniture is hard. You want to use a new curriculum at your church, but training and communicating that change will not be easy.” Here are five fundamental reasons change is hard:
- We get emotionally attached to the way we do ministry. I tell our team often, “Don’t love what you do too much.” When you love something too much, you never want to change it. More importantly, you are blinded to the need for change.
- You love what you create. If you created it, you are even more blind to the need for change. I live in Nashville, and it seems every other person you bump into is a songwriter. If they wrote a song they love it, even if you don’t. You just can’t bear to tell them.
- You worry about how change will affect you. Organizational change almost always means work will look different, and you worry about what that means to you personally. Will I like my new role? Will I love the people I work with? Will I have a job? These are all questions people ask themselves when change is coming, and it makes change so very difficult for the leader who is leading change.
- Change is hard because it makes people move out of their comfort zones. We are comfortable with what we know. Your volunteers are comfortable with what they know, and change means you have to help them get comfortable.
- Change is hard because it is hard work. It is hard work to plan for change, to communicate change, and to train for change.
What are some other ways that change is hard for you? How do you normally respond?
Watch for my next post for some practical steps for making changes.