The 3 Best Ways to Successfully Deal With Change at Work

As in life, change in the workplace can be something that is very hard to deal with. However, if you are able to anticipate change, adapt quickly, and embrace it, then changes in the workplace can actually be positive and can propel you toward success in business, as well as in life.

The first way to benefit from changes in the workplace is to anticipate these adjustments. Changes frequently occur. It should never be a surprise when they come, whether they are large or small. If you are able to anticipate change and see it coming, you have an immense advantage over the majority of people.

Most people do not like, and even fear change. If you are able to anticipate it, you can excel during a time of change, because you are ready and expectant while most of your coworkers are psychologically dreading it and intentionally keeping it off their radar.

Adjustments happen quickly and frequently, so you should always be alert to the prospect of them happening. If you are able to anticipate change, you won't have to worry about being left behind. Anticipating these variations is just the first step in being able to deal with change and using it to your benefit.

Now that we've discussed the first way to successfully deal with change, let's delve into the different types of changes that occur within an organization. Different types of changes in the workplace can and should be met with a new sense of hope, because they can provide an avenue for you to showcase your many talents.

Adjustments such as management changes, re-organization of a company, or alterations in department or position can and should be viewed as a positive, not a negative.

A change in management can provide you with a positive atmosphere. This type of transition can bring a fresh set of eyes to see what value you bring to the company. Previous management may have overlooked abilities. In this case, change gives you a golden opportunity to show exactly what you can do and where your value lies.

As well, reorganization of your company or transitions to new departments or job titles can also be positive experiences. If this change involves you working on new tasks and interacting with new people, it can provide you a different and sometimes even better way to display your talents. You may even surprise yourself.

In addition to this occurrence, changes in environment oftentimes provide people with new motivation and a zest for life, as long as they are willing to see adjustments as something other than negative. As the song says, "a change will do you good."

This can even be the case when reorganization or a change in department or position means a position of lesser importance or even demotion. If you are able to anticipate the adjustment, and adapt to it, this transition can actually provide you with a platform to further showcase your talents and prove your value to the company.

Many times, people who are re-organized within an organization or even demoted, or given a job or title of lesser authority or importance, are able to overcome this and actually thrive.

While showing they can adapt to change, and proving their value to the company, they can provide themselves a path to reach higher positions. People who are able to demonstrate great value and do an efficient and competent job, many times find themselves at an even higher position than when they began. In such cases, this change gives these people a breath of fresh air and allows them to perform at even higher levels, which are immediately recognizable.

The second way you can use change to your benefit and help it propel your career is to adapt quickly when you see change coming. Just as the person who adapts and uses a change in position to better position themselves for ascension within a company, you can use the method of adapting quickly to change to you benefit.

The sooner you let go of the past, the sooner you can be successful in the future. All top businessmen and women know how to adapt to change. They use it to their benefit because they are able to let go of the past.

By moving quickly, you can be ahead of the curve. And by doing this, you can use change to advance yourself and your career. If you are able to adapt quickly, you can put yourself in a better position than any of your coworkers, who like most people, fear change and do not adapt quickly. Unsuccessful people hold on to the past for dear life and are left behind with the changing tide.

Lastly, the third way to successfully deal with change in the workplace is to embrace the change. As in life, change in the workplace will happen no matter what, regardless of whether you want it to or not. If you embrace it, you will advance yourself above those who do not embrace change, and fear it.

If you are able to realize that new isn't always worse, you can turn what is seen by most to be a negative experience-that of changing-into a positive experience. Things often can and do get better with time and with change. If you see change as a positive experience and actually embrace it, you can turn a negative into a positive.

Using the methods listed here of anticipating change, adapting quickly to it, and embracing change, you can propel and advance your career while the rest of your coworkers who see it in a negative light are left behind. The choice is up to you. As the old saying goes, "the only thing that's constant in life is change," and this goes even more so in the workplace.

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About the Author: Kevin Oefelein is the creator and webmaster of FleetSummaries.com, a site dedicated to providing its visitors with detailed, free business book summaries and reviews. Each week, fleetsummaries.com produces new summaries and reviews for today's top business and self-help books, completely free and downloadable in five digital formats. Learn how to deal with change and other key concepts and ideas from top business and self-help books, all in less time, by visiting FleetSummaries.com. There you can download an expanding collection of free business book summaries that can help you increase your business acumen.