The Employer Refresher Course - Part VI
Change Is Inevitable

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Harpal Singh Sokhi

Change is inevitable. Change is progress. The earth spins on the axis of change! It could be change for the better, or it could be a change, which happens because of unfortunate events. Expect change to catch you around the corner and because it sometimes creeps up on you, one gets mighty scared! This is what I have mentioned briefly earlier: the fear of change.

There is a zone that surrounds us all. It is called the comfort zone. Till the time one person is in it, be it the employer, the business owner, or the employee, things are hunky dory. The moment change comes in with the winds of time, the comfort zone becomes a hot flush under the collar: ie one becomes uncomfortable and then the time comes to react. This can be very easily put in a nutshell. That is to accept change one has to see the brighter side of things and that comes with a positive attitude.

Attitudinal behaviour has been dealt with in the earlier columns but here it is from the employer’s viewpoint. He is the one who has to make the zone of discomfort of the employees into something that can bring in constructive and lucrative returns. Of course it will take time for human nature is such. I have culled the following tips on how to improve interpersonal skills within the organisation from various sources as also my experiences:

1. Get into the habit of calling each person by his name. For him it is the sweetest sound in the world: this is easy, isn’t it?
2. Don’t criticise, condemn or complain: this requires immense amounts of understanding and patience.
3. Give honest and sincere appreciation: this requires you to be large-hearted.
4. Convert into a listener and a good one at that! As you encourage others to talk about themselves, they start relating more to you and resentment will slowly trickle away. While talking, remember to talk in terms of the other person’s interest. This enhances your quality of being a good conversationalist. Make the other person feel important. And do it sincerely. This comes easy to some people.

To veer the other person toward your way of thinking; principle one is never, ever get into an argument. Dale Carnegie, known author of leadership books, says ‘The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it’. Even if you find it difficult, do try to show respect for the other person’s opinion. Never say pointedly that you are wrong. And if you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically!

It would help most of us if we try to develop the quality of honestly trying to see things from the other person’s (here it could be a discontented employee, or someone out of the comfort zone) point of view. It could also mean that you sympathise with the other person’s ideas and desires.

Being in the position of leadership the employer has to change people without giving offense or arousing resentment. One important principle is that instead of criticising the other person for his mistakes, which one can point out indirectly, talk about your ‘own’ mistakes! Encourage him/her in a way that makes the fault seem easy to correct. Fault the action, not the person!

Most importantly, provide the ‘grease’ of interpersonal skills in your organisational ‘machinery’ by making your requests to the other person in such a form that will convey to the other person the idea that he personally will benefit. That brings us to where we began: getting the entrepreneurial thinking into employees so that they can earn due share from the profits.