Changing

 I remember watching my son play video games.  I’d wonder what attracted him to them, what made him so engrossed.  As I learned more about the games, I realized that they offered him constant feedback, a degree of difficulty yet not something that overwhelmed him, and closure when he successfully completed the game. 

Psychologists would explain that people like closure.  That these games provide closure for the people who play them and therefore fulfill a psychological need. 

The problem, however, is that when we are trying to create change in our schools, businesses, or lives it is hard to find this quick endgame.  When it comes to change, there is no “one and done.  Too often, companies, schools, or people bring in expert speakers, provide one day of training, or hire someone, and then think the problem is solved. 

When we congratulate ourselves for starting the process and think we are done, like in a game, we often lose the people who were behind the change.  What we need to learn from a gamer like my son is that the game is not often won on the first move.  It requires taking feedback, learning from our mistakes, and being persistent in our quest to get to the next level. 

The next time you are trying to bring about change, remember: It is a slow process—and I say that written from as a very impatient man!—with many ups and down along the road.  There is no one thing that will instantly provide that change but 1,000 little things that will make it happen.