We have all experienced more change in our careers than we’ve expected, and while change can be challenging, most often change is necessary.  As summer fades to fall, we can look back on the past in a moment of self-reflection and see what changes we can make that would benefit us going forward. This can be hard, but we can also think of change in a positive light. If we have learned anything this year, it has taught us how to be flexible in an ever-changing environment. While we have done this well, there is always more to learn or room to grow. In addition to personal growth, here are some more great reasons to embrace change: 

Adaptability – Adjusting to new situations and being flexible can enhance success. There have been many opportunities to learn something new and welcome the versatile skills that many of your teammates have to share.

Innovation – The root of innovation is the introduction of something new. An essential factor of this is a positive culture that embraces change to allow for growth. Identifying challenges and finding ways to overcome them can inspire innovation which may lead to new and improved ways of working and problem solving.

Collaboration – We have seen many moments of teammates leaning on one another and finding ways to create new processes. Teamwork fosters creativity and yields better solutions that we can’t always accomplish on our own, which has benefitted us greatly this year. 

Whether you want to make a big or small change, first visualize the outcome. What goals can you set that are attainable? Don’t go too deep on the expectation as it may not go as planned and you may miss out on the opportunity for personal development. Also, don’t feel as if you need to do it alone. You have a team of people who may be feeling the same way you are. Open the lines of communication and you may be surprised with what you find. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson “Not in his goals, but in his transition, man is great.”  If we productively embrace change, there’s no limit to what we an accomplish together.