Change Something

Fashion. The times. The weather. All things that change. What about your ideas? What about your business? How long has it been since something changed in your life or company? Because if your life or business becomes stale, without fresh ideas and thoughts, or a new outlook on customer service, employee satisfaction and retention, you get stuck in a rut that prevents you from making progress. And if your business won’t be around for long without the ability to embrace change and implement new ideas.

Many people are resistant to change. But not because they don’t like new ideas. Maybe they don’t completely understand how it works or how it will help. Why do we need a new website when the old one is “fine?” Why do our cars need a new image wrapped on them when everyone likes the old ones?

Just like our clothes, sometimes our branding simply wears out. The logo looks dated. The messaging starts to wear thin. So like our clothing, we change our marketing – both tactics and branding so that we don’t become stale.

The same thing applies to your life. That’s why people take vacations – to get out of their ordinary routine and see new things. With luck, those new things, experiences and ideas will translate into their non-vacation existence.

Here are some ideas for keeping your ideas fresh, both in life and business:

1. Embrace new technology. Learning to use a new technology is a great way to refresh your own thinking. If you remember when putting together a flyer for business involved scissors and glue, I certainly hope you’ve discovered how easy computers and programs like Photoshop make creating new materials. If you don’t, you’re probably already using the latest, greatest apps!

2. Ask your customers. Ever ask your customers what they think of you? What you could do better? What they’d like next? Asking a customer’s opinion is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to get new ideas and refresh your old ways of thinking.

3. Ask your employees. The people who talk with your customers every day probably have some thoughts. Why not take advantage of their ideas and concerns. After all, they are on the front lines of your company’s efforts every day. Use them!

4. Reward people. If your customer or employee has a new, innovative and interesting idea, reward them. Everyone likes to feel valued, and a gift card or catered lunch goes a long way to keeping employees and customers engaged.

5. Don’t complain (for a day, week, month). Want to see someone else’s point of view? Don’t complain about anything. In fact, consciously try to see the positive in everything. Even if you’re a highly positive person, it’s difficult not to utter one negative sentence for even 24 hours. This one is also great practice for becoming conscious of your thoughts.

6. Take a different route to work or climb the stairs. This is a great challenge to keep alert, discover new places, get a better understanding of your city and to have more fun while doing one of the mundane daily tasks of life.

7. Learn something new. If you want to learn how to cook you need to practice, practice, practice. Forcing yourself to try a new recipe each day is a great way to learn of more techniques and ingredients. Always wanted to know everything about customer service? Being an entrepreneur? How tennis balls are made? Educate yourself without school! Pick a topic, visit your library, or call an expert and ask!

Change can be hard, but often, it is rewarding. Even fun. That’s why people come back from vacation with new energy. In business, change can be even harder, as we’re often reluctant to mix up the status quo. Why change something if the old thing has been working? But is it really? Or have you become complacent and self-satisfied with how things are. Who knows, maybe that new idea could catapult your business to whole other level! Just sayin’. 

Published: New Mexico Apartment News Magazine – May/June issue 2015