Change is something few lawyers relish, but you can combat this by adopting a different way of thinking. Paul Gilbert provides a ten-point comfort blanket to help you understand what change is really about


I was having a coffee the other day with an in-house lawyer new into her first role. She was interesting and thoughtful, and her conversation was engaging and full of optimism.



But then, she said something that made me pause for thought. She said: 'I am really uncomfortable doing new things - I always feel that I am so much out of my depth.'



As a euphemism, 'out of my depth' is an easy-to-use and everyday turn of phrase, but taken literally, it carries a significant burden. It is a really difficult phrase, laden with discomfort.



It conjures an image of flailing limbs in a hostile sea, lungs bursting with pain and a helpless surrender to a certain end. This is a deep-seated discomfort that travels to the pit of one's stomach in an instant.



Such innocuous words, but such horrible connotations; no wonder we do not want to try new things if they make us feel out of our depth.



The fear of change is a real phenomenon, both at an organisational level and for us as individuals. To be good at change, therefore, we need a different way of thinking, a different metaphor.



How would we feel, for example, if we were not really out of our depth? What if we were absolutely at the same depth we normally operate in? I am convinced that for most things we do, it is not the depth that has changed, but that we are swimming in unfamiliar waters and the landmarks on the shoreline are different.



And if that was the case, we are not going to drown; we will be perfectly fine, having all the skills and the experience we need to survive in our new surroundings and maybe even to thrive.



Consider this thought - when you drive your car to a new place, to somewhere you have never been before, you can still physically drive the car. You have not forgotten how to steer or how to change gear, but you may have to concentrate a little more and you may have to prepare the way a little more thoroughly as well.



The discomfort we show by labelling how we feel as out of our depth effectively elevates change from being, in my driving analogy, a need for a little more concentration as we look for somewhere to park, to a near-death experience in the freezing waters of the north Atlantic.



So how should we combat this fear of change?



I would like to suggest a ten-point comfort blanket. These ten points are not to falsely reassure, but to put into context what most change is really about.



l Most change is positive, or at least an opportunity to view things differently and therefore to see potential for positive consequences. Albert Einstein said: 'There is nothing that is a more certain sign of insanity than to do the same thing over and over again and expect the results to be different.'



l Change is inevitable - it is a constant in our lives and we cope every single day with any amount of it. Change is not a problem for any of us, but what we are less good at is unfamiliar change.



l Unfamiliar change takes us by surprise and often causes three responses - to flee, freeze or fight. All three responses are emotional and obstructive. None help us deal with change and if they become a pattern of behaviour, we will always struggle.



l But change is rarely destructive of itself. Being uncomfortable is often a prerequisite to growth and progress - being comfortable can be a slow decline into complacency and decay.



l Change in every instance, however, is not necessarily a good thing; change has to be respected, thought through and deliberated. Change for its own sake might be disruptive.



l When evaluating the impact of change, we must also evaluate the impact of the status quo: is the status quo rewarding, challenging and fun? Will the status quo be here for a long time or is it too merely temporary? Do our colleagues and friends look at change in the same way as we do - and if not, what are they likely to change and when?



Can we exert some influence over the status quo and is that influence any more than the influence we can exert over change? Is it better to change positively and with energy or to sit tight in the equivalent of a brace crash position and hope the moment will pass?



l Change is not done to annoy or upset us; there is therefore precious little to be gained by arguing emotively against it. Even if your concerns are well intentioned, an argument based on emotions will appear Luddite or worse, and definitely not a good place to begin negotiations.



So argue facts, argue logic and argue better alternatives. Not all change is good, but bad change occurs because we lose our perspective and create distracting and pointless arguments which are bound to fail.



l When change is contemplated, opportunity is created too. It is like a chemical reaction. Seek out the opportunity and judge the benefit of the opportunity before you resist the change.



l Life (as the cliché goes) is a journey, but it should not always be a Sunday afternoon ride down a familiar lane, to the same old places. While some days like this are good, no one should want their whole life to be like it. Let the journey be a mixture of the old and the new, the fast and the slow, the risk-free and, occasionally, the risky too.



l Never again think you are out of your depth with change simply because it is unfamiliar. Most likely you are swimming just fine.



Of course, none of this makes change easy. While change is only ever relished by a very few, it should not be so daunting. We all have the capacity to change and to take advantage of the opportunity that change brings.



So, we are not out of our depth, we are just doing what comes naturally.



Paul Gilbert is chief executive of LBC Wise Counsel, the specialist management and skills training consultancy for lawyers