My granddaughter doesn’t like to get out of her pajamas, no matter what activity is coming next. It can be a regular day when going to daycare, a place she seems to love, is next on the agenda, or church, shopping, or even getting donuts. She doesn’t want to change out of her pajamas.
Her reluctance to get out of her PJs isn’t about a love of comfortable clothing because 13 to 14 hours after you convince her the world is safe to face in regular clothes, she will fight you about getting back into those same PJs.
I once had a daughter who didn’t like changing her location. So, I would argue about going to church and then argue about leaving the church to return home. (Guess what? This same daughter is dealing daily with the granddaughter I mentioned above. Some might consider this justice.)
It was and is frustrating.
Change can be good. Often, people suggest a change that solves an issue we are looking to solve. Still, we are reluctant to change—like a 3-year-old in jammies who is torn between getting dressed for the day and going to get donuts with Grandpa.
People change at different rates. Frankly, some are so afraid of commitment that they are too eager to change. They are so willing to change they lose effectiveness because you can’t rely on them to turn out a consistent product.
But there has to be a balance.
Recently, I have encountered several issues in which a suggestion was made and ignored, only for the situation to end up exactly where the solution was designed to prevent it from ending.
At Willmar Electric, we value thriftiness. A key to thriftiness is continuous improvement. Many people think continuous improvement is a way to trick people into changing. They think we aren’t going to come out and tell someone they need to change; we will trick them by suggesting an improvement.
Those people are right. We are trying to get them to change. Our reasoning is small; regular improvements increase quality and safety while lowering costs. At Willmar Electric it helps us live up to our core value of Thrifty.
But I would also suggest that one of the most embarrassing things that can happen to a person is to refuse to change, see the world improve, and move on without them. This can mean your coworkers and peers pass you by at work as you stand still. It can mean your supervisor is frustrated when they see you fail because you didn’t even try to follow their directions or suggestions.
It is not easy, but as David Bowie sang, it is time to turn and face the change instead of facing a million dead-end streets.
Change doesn’t always work out, and our minds seem wired to stay in our old, natural methods. But people who are willing to try new things seem to be happier and also tend to get promotions at work.
(I was tempted to have the final paragraph of this blog be: The people who take off their pajamas and put on their pants and shirt get the donuts or go to the zoo. But the more time I spend in public, the more I notice some people think you can stay in your pajamas and still get donuts or go to the zoo. That is a different topic for a different blog.)