“Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.”

Sydney J. Harris, US journalist

That’s the whole point of change, isn’t it? To replace what isn’t working well with something that works better. Change is a response to evolving needs. It is about identifying your pain points, and finding a remedy.

Six years ago, my pain points covered with tatty bits of sticking plaster, I stepped away from the Coffin. It was a job I loved, but there was just too much of it. I stepped into a role closer to my Boffin roots: management, analysis, and change.

This year sees me return for a third tour of duty in that latter role. A role that a friend reminded me I would “never do again”.

So… what happened to change my mind? That original decision was not made lightly – far from it. Neither have I forgotten the pain points that led to it. Yet for various reasons I’m back at a coalface that inflicted damage last time, and has the potential to do so again, in a different way and under different circumstances.

Importantly though, it is a very different coalface to the one I navigated three years ago. And it is the changes that have been made to it that draw me back to conquer it again.

At the end of the last journey in 2020, my fellow travellers and I gave feedback about what needed to change. We analysed the situation and looked at what resources were needed to improve it, and how that change might be implemented.

So far, so familiar. The most important part? We were listened to. Our experience and experiences were heard and respected. Recommendations were considered, and collaboration produced new solutions.

There is no doubt that the year will bring new challenges, new routes to be navigated, new battles to be conquered, and new pain points. And once more, at its conclusion, the systems will be reviewed and further improved. This commitment to continuous improvement, the learning taken forward from what didn’t work, is what draws me, and others like me, back to the coalface again. It is what leads us to change our minds.

What do you do when something needs improving? Do you shrug and walk away? Grizzle about it? Decide it’s someone else’s problem? Look for someone to blame? Or do you analyse the situation - collaborating with others to determine its true shape and working with them to develop solutions or alternatives?

The last group are my people. The people who contribute solutions to problems – those are the people I want working for me. The people who listen to solutions and make changes – those are the people I want to work for. The people who listen when we say “this needs fixing” and ask for and offer ideas on how to fix it - those are the people I want on my team.

Change isn’t always major and disruptive. It can be subtle and yet have a big impact on our wellbeing. It is, for me, as it is for many of my friends and colleagues, something to be embraced. It is what we should do when the things we have always done are no longer effective.

Change is about moving with the times, learning, improving, and becoming the very best that we can be. My five takeaways for change? Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. One person can make a difference. Don’t be afraid to change your mind. Talk amongst yourselves. Never say never.

The winds of change carry me in a new direction for now, and it is time for me to hang up the propeller hat and the top hat. These are the last mutterings of Boffin to Coffin, and the end of my journey with the editorial board. Many thanks for your support over the years, it has been a thoroughly enjoyable journey.

Over and out.