Metathesiophobia

I was pumping gas earlier today, and a new (to me) word popped up on the fuel pump screen: Metathesiophobia. Extreme fear of change. I chuckled to myself... how appropriate that the universe would choose to show me that word, as a person who helps people do just that... change!

I had a bit of a drive following that, and I got to thinking about WHY we are so afraid to change. I've read that it's human nature and even a survival mechanism. But in my own work, I've also observed that we are more reluctant to change at work than in other environments.

In our personal lives, we may get a new phone or other technology and dive in head first without ever reading a manual; we figure it out. On the job, we often feel paralyzed by change and resistant to figuring it out, instead waiting for someone to come along and show us. Is it cultural? A means of workplace survival?

Whatever the cause, it's a reality we must counteract with solid strategies to help employees bring a little bit of the confidence they feel when embracing change at home into the workplace.

Are you ready to change the way you manage change? Let's chat!