Change is inevitable. Every leader in the healthcare industry whom I have interviewed over the years has acknowledged this fact. In just a couple decades, we have witnessed an incredible change in technology, education, training, values, and the workforce. Every organization, regardless of industry, has to decide what to do with these changes.
Change disrupts our status quo and forces us to make a choice. Do we continue to operate in our comfort zone, or do we throw our comfort to the side and embrace the change that can bring transformation?
The author of a recent article on this topic explored the mutual exclusiveness of transformation and “life in the comfort zone.” As described in the article, the comfort zone is where “life makes sense” and experiences fall within your range of expectations.
The author goes on to describe the implications of staying in your comfort zone; he asserts that by choosing to remain there, you are accepting that your “current way of making sense of reality is sufficient for the decisions you need to make.” Complacency in your comfort zone is in direct opposition to change and transformation—personally, professionally, and organizationally.
To many, the word “change” has a certain stigma to it. Change has the potential to create conflict, apprehension, and general resistance in the workplace. However, change also has the potential to bring incredible transformation to your organization—if you allow it. I will be the first to admit that not all change is positive, and sometimes change should be contested; but there are many times when change is essential for transformation.
“If we don’t change we don’t grow. If we don’t grow we are not really living.”
– Gail Sheehy
The healthcare industry is changing, and it is up to the current leadership to decide how they are going to respond to the changes. Each and every leader has to make a decision to either embrace or resist.
Question: Are you willing to sacrifice the comfort of doing things how they have always been done in order to embrace transformation?
Copyright © 2015 by Dan Nielsen – www.dannielsen.com
America’s Healthcare Leaders – www.americashealthcareleaders.com
National Institute for Healthcare Leadership – www.nihcl.com
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