Change is inevitable, but also hard. We tend to get comfortable with the way things are and resist new things that require effort or challenge us. As business leaders, we know we must change to stay relevant. So why do we brace ourselves against change rather than embracing it?
Many of us think we can’t change, or at least not in any significant way. We might argue that, “We always do it this way” as we cling to our organization’s traditions. But science shows us that we are actually built for change.
Human brains function with neuroplasticity, the “elastic” aspect of our minds that allows us to change, adapt and reorganize. Throughout our lives, regardless of age, our brains create neurons and make fresh neural pathways as we experience things for the first time. The more often we do something, the deeper these new neural pathways become. We can replace old habits through mindfulness and conviction, and our brains actually change with these new thoughts.
“Every time you think a specific thought, a specific pathway of neurons fires up, neurotransmitters are released and synapses are subtly altered. With repetition this pathway is strengthened,” explains Marie Pasinski, MD. “Even as you read this very sentence, your brain is changing. In this way, your brain’s structure is a culmination of all the thoughts and experiences you have had up to this very moment.”
The elasticity of our brains enables us to adopt new ideas and ways of doing things if we simply make a start, whether it’s new technology or just a new route to work. This means that even the most change-adverse organizations can reinvent because we’re not only capable of change, but actually wired for it.
