By Floyd Wickman

What an interesting week.  As someone who has taught hundreds of thousands of people through the years, one thing I’ve always found fascinating is how people react to CHANGE.  Facebook gave us a real live glimpse into people’s tolerance levels for that yesterday when it rolled out so many changes at once.  Some took it all in stride, jumping in to learn what was new, how it affected them, how they could make adjustments to suit their communication style, their tastes and their jobs.  Others threw their hands up, demanded a “reset” button and vowed to leave and never come back.  My question to you is which kind of person do you think will succeed faster?

While Facebook and its social media counterparts have forever altered how we communicate – it is certainly not the only swiftly changing element of our lives and careers right now.  Our economy has been likened to a break-neck roller coaster ride over the last few years.  Our consumers have far more access to information than they ever have in the past, challenging us to keep up and stay ahead so that we can provide the resources they need when they need it.  Technology is changing at the click of a mouse, with new computers, app phones and tablets almost obsolete before they even hit the shelves.  What’s that old saying?  “The only constant in life is change?”

Here are my thoughts…

1. Take a deep breath.  It’s ok to feel a little overwhelmed or disoriented when change occurs.  Take a deep breath and give yourself a little time to adjust.  Knee-jerk reactions rarely serve anyone well.
2. Find the good.  In every change there are bound to be challenges, but like every coin has two sides so does every opportunity.  Find it.  Own it.  Make it work for you, your business, your life.  If nothing else, change forces us outside our comfort zones which creates a chance for us to grow and adapt – and that, my friends is a vital skill needed in today’s world.
3. Communicate.  Change is a terrific reason to reach out to your colleagues, your customers and your network and communicate.  Talk about their reactions, about what it means to them, how it affects your community, their families or the way they do business.  More often than not, the toughest things for a lot of sales pros when talking to their customer base is figuring out what to say!  Big changes make for great conversation starters.

Just a couple ideas for you to think about while you’re trying to figure out where the birthday button is on Facebook, or how to find your friends!  Hope you have a terrific day and hey – if you haven’t already – come visit me online at www.floydwickman.com and  www.facebook.com/floydwickmanteam!  We’ve got a lot of changes (of the great variety) taking place as well!  See you there!