Are some people just unable to change?

A couple of days ago I came across a mini-film about a guy who used to be in the RAF. After many years serving he injured an injury that doctors said had left him permanently disabled. He was told he would never walk unaided again. He was obese and chronically depressed; there seemed to be no hope. The film showed his search for a yoga teacher who would take on his plight and help him to walk again. The film finished with him running in his local park. Somehow, he managed to turn his life around.

As I watched the video, I couldn't help wonder where he got his strength, both physical and mental. I wondered what made some people fight towards a goal and others give up and accept defeat.

I started to think about the things that stand in the way of us making changes in our lives; things like:

• Finances
• Education
• Confidence in yourself and your goal
• Support from those around you
• Environment - where you live or work.

There are likely many more reasons you or I could come up with, and every one of them would be a valid reason. 

The man in the film I described above had many obstacles in the way of his goal - to walk again - the major one being doctors telling him it was medically impossible. Somehow he overcame these obstacles. 

So what got him there? 

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When I was a student, I remember a tutor of mine saying to me "change isn't hard." I questioned him and said that change was hard and how could he think it wasn't? In organisations, we often see resistance to change and many times we struggle to help the people around us get past such resistance. 

He said to me: "it's not change per se that is hard, it's a particular element of change that is hard for that person." He meant that if we bundle all changes into one phenomenon we lose the nuances of what is actually causing the resistance to change. For example; an employee may have a resistance to using a new system in the workplace for many reasons:

• They don't know how to use the new system
• They have a fear of using particular parts of a system - perhaps a certain spreadsheet or application
• Changing their routine takes effort, and people don't see a value in why they need to change
• Changing means, they lose something they had by doing it the 'old way.

The point is, it's the detail about why the person is resistant to change that provides the insight into helping them get to the new destination. 

Think about a time when someone told you to change something, or you told yourself to make a change "I need to go to the gym more." When you told yourself to do these things was there an intrinsic reason attached to why you needed to change? Did you know how to make the change? E.g. what classes to take, or exercises to use? Did you feel sad when you thought about the time you'd lose with friends because three nights a week would be spent in the gym? 

All of these factors influence your motivation to change. If you have a goal in mind that makes your change effort worthwhile (and you gain the necessary skills to make the change possible) the change suddenly becomes a lot easier - and more enjoyable - to implement. 

The guy from the film so desperately wanted to walk again that he refused to accept his fate; he found a person to help him develop the skills he needed and his goal was so vitally important to him personally that he couldn't let it go. He had a sense of purpose.  

Image source

In organisations, people often don't understand why change will benefit them, and often managers don't think about communicating the need for people to change in a way that brings them some sense of satisfaction. We all need to feel the effort we expend is giving us some sense of reward, and intrinsic rewards, namely: 

• Feeling they are committing to a broader meaningful purpose and
• Feeling that they are competent at their work, but are also significantly challenged for their ability,

 will always achieve longer lasting results and more satisfied employees.