My daughter's class has been observing a Monarch butterfly metamorphosis. She is so excited to report on what they observe each day, and explains all the things she is learning. It reminds me that change of any kind is a miracle.

Change has a bad rap. The received wisdom is that it requires "management" and help to land, particularly in large organizations. Sometimes, though, change is deeply desired. The absence of change can breed disengagement, cynicism, and hurt.

When people feel that their input has been truly heard and received, they feel that it is valued. Sometimes that looks like making the suggested change, but not always.

Rather than dismissing suggestions, take time to better understand a suggestion, thank the contributor for it, and sincerely consider it. If the change cannot be made for whatever reason, the next thing you can do is follow up with the person who gave the suggestion and explain why. I have heard this countless times in my workplace conflict cases: tell me what happened to my feedback.

If things change because of something you said, it makes you feel appreciated. Full stop. You will offer input again when asked, because you trust it will be considered. If not, you will stop offering it, stop noticing where things can be improved, stop caring.

So, if you're dealing with disengagement in your team/institution, take a look at what has historically happened when you have received suggestions for change. Did the change happen? If not, was the reason why explained? Did people feel you heard them, even if you could not make the change they suggested? If you did not make the change, and you received another suggestion about it, did you take the hint?

Butterflies have no choice about their metamorphosis, but the results are stunning. What might happen if we chose change?

Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash