“People don’t like change…”
Shared by Kristina Smedley
“You have your hands in everything and it’s not appropriate. Stick to your job.”
“Some people are telling me that they’re sick of you giving them direction. Come through me; they don’t report to you.”
“Times have changed. Get over it.”
This is some of the “feedback” I have received in the past from upper management while working with our grassroots teams to create positive change in our work environment.
And it hurt. I started crying (which made me feel worse).
Did they not understanding anything about me?
Did they really think I was trying to amass power through getting my hands in everything and telling people what to do?
Who did they think I was?
I was mad. Mad that someone was so uncaring that they couldn’t see the bigger picture of what we were trying to build.
I was offended that they would attack me for coming to work every day with good intentions and almost endless passion and energy to make work a great place to be for all of us.
I was honestly in disbelief.
Being a changemaker isn’t easy.
I think this is fairly obvious – people don’t like change.
But what isn’t always known or seen are the challenging internal struggles.
On one hand, I need to be steadfast in my beliefs and vision. To commit to building the desired future and work through the challenges that will inevitably come.
On the other hand, I need to have flexibility and humility. Good intentions alone aren’t enough; I need to be honest with myself about my effectiveness, where I’m falling short, where I’m not communicating well enough. I need to be vulnerable.
As I continue to work through these challenges, I’m sure I’ll continue to receive negative feedback and I’ll do better.
And in the meantime, the many positive responses, thankful emails, stronger relationships, and small positive changes in the workplace make it all worth it!
#DaringlyResilient
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