Fear of Change

Here is a great quote I came across today: 

"Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind.  To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse.  To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better.  To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better."  King Whitney Jr.   

Have you ever thought about how fundamental “change” is in your recruiting pursuits?  I submit that many of the people in your pipeline are fearful of change, at least as it pertains to their career.  Addressing those fears during your dialog may help you in your efforts to develop authentic relationships.   

Anyone whom you wish to onboard will be facing a change, either the minor change of switching companies, or the major change of pursuing a completely new career.  How you address that with them will make all the difference in your recruiting success.  

Jorge Barba, a self-professed “Innovation Insurgent,” made this observation in a recent blog he authored:  

“When employees do not feel understood, they resist change more fiercely.  But when they are included in the decision-making process and treated as valued resources, they can be the staunchest champions of new initiatives.”  

This statement is certainly valid in terms of managing your existing employees, but let me re-frame it relative to recruiting...  

As a hiring manager, you have a tough job.  You’re tasked with helping a person come to the realization that their current job circumstances are mediocre or poor.  And, to fix the situation, they are going to have to overcome their fear of change and envision something better for the future. 

The key to handling this discussion well, starts early.  Reread the above quote.  When do people stop resisting?  When they see themselves included in the decision making process.  

How do you get a candidate involved in this process?  The first step is to truly understand the person’s fears.  We all want to be understood in general, and that is certainly something you should strive to do and demonstrate, but taking it a step further and addressing and empathizing with one’s fear of change is important too.  

Once you have conveyed an understanding of their feelings around change, you can begin the conversation about how they can empower themselves to improve their situation.  This conversation does not start with what you can do for them, but rather listening to their ideas about what they think would help them get to a better place with their career.  

In doing so, you will begin to move the conversation away from fear and towards hope.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be the catalyst for that conversion?

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Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Comments

[Lee Gray]

Thank you Evan, I am glad you are enjoying Workpuzzle.

[Evan]

Excellent as always! Thanks.

Evan J. at Windermere Mukilteo