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August 2007
Changing "Change"
for a Change
By: Dutch Holland,
PhD
No word has
been used more often in the last decade. No word is more
accurate in describing what is (and has been) happening in the
world of business. I wish I could say that no word excites and
motivates more people in business…but such is not the case.
“Change” is a
word that many hear with fear and dread. To many, change means
frustration, discomfort, exhaustion, and even failure. There are
few
people who have not had a bad experience with change in their place
of business. If one announces “We are going to change the way we do
business” they will often watch people duck or shudder…not applaud.
The important
message for those of us in the change business is that we must
be extremely cautious in how we use the word in a business
initiative, lest we unwittingly create negative conditions and/or
discouragement from the start.
We need to
change the way we use “change” in a change initiative. In fact,
we should consider different words… such as:
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Improve |
Enhance |
Strengthen |
Enable |
Enrich |
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Alter |
Replace |
Replenish |
Re-supply |
Modify |
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Intensify |
Heighten |
Deepen |
Better |
Amend |
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Tone up |
Fortify |
Beef up |
Tune up |
Energize |
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Stimulate |
Perk up |
Excite |
Accelerate |
Quicken |
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Raise |
Fire up |
Evoke |
Charge up |
Benefit |
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Step up |
Brace |
Kindle |
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Most of these
synonyms are common vocabulary, and very few if any carry the
negative valence of “change.” So you might give some of them a
try. Who knows? It might be a positive change!
 To find out more about our implementing change approach, call Dutch Holland at 713.800.3663. Holland & Davis can give you success story after success story ...and suggest ways that you can engineer change.
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