“Change creates an environment where you’re not an expert … [so if you believe change is important or inevitable] … getting comfortable with the feeling of being incompetent is one of the most important things you can do.” –Seth Godin*
Many people don’t like change. But why?
According to Seth Godin, one reason is change means the current experts may no longer be the experts. If you were hired to do a job, and then the job changes, there’s no guarantee you’ll be good at it. Every time there’s change, there will be things you’ll need to figure out: you’ll have to gain competency in some areas.
Now, at times, you may find that you gain competency almost immediately. But there may be other times when this competence takes a long time to develop (if it gets developed at all). And the fear of losing competency can keep some of us from wanting change.
This feeling of incompetency—when things change—is natural and common. The danger is when we let the fear of feeling incompetent make the decision for us, rather than embracing or rejecting change based on whether it’s truly beneficial for those involved.
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_* From and interview on the EntreLeadership Podcast (starting around the 9:00 mark)_