The pace of change is accelerating. In today's world, managing change is not something you have to do sometimes. You have to do it every day.

The invention and widespread use of antibiotics created superbugs. The invention of the Internet and mobile devices has created privacy and security issues. At the time of this writing, the widespread availability of sophisticated drones is creating a new set of problems. You can likely cite several additional examples.

As you resolve current problems at work, new ones arise. You might anticipate some of these and proactively create strategies to deal with them. But progress is precarious because it always gives birth to unexpected consequences. The immense complexity of the world prevents you from anticipating all the new problems you will face.

So if you are making progress, you are creating new problems, which require new solutions, which create new problems. This is a relentless cycle.

A rational argument for change, a business case, provides justification, but it does not create the energy necessary to move forward. Rational arguments should be put forth, but expecting people to act rationally is folly because our decisions and actions are heavily influenced by emotions, cognitive biases (one of which is the negative bias), and context. Daniel Kahneman summarizes and explains the extensive research that has led to that basic conclusion in his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow.¹ Fear is an extremely powerful emotion, and the negative bias is pervasive. Both must be addressed and overcome to make change possible.

Change always involves risks, and fear of the unknown is ever-present. Part of your job as a manager is to encourage your followers. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving forward despite the presence of fear. To encourage is to motivate people to move forward—to take risks and move into the unknown.

Your self-confidence and genuine caring attracts others. Your passion and determination are contagious. Your belief in the capability of your team is empowering. That is how you manage in ways that help people move forward in spite of the fear.

Our friend, Mark Epp, includes the following phrase in his email signature: “To success and beyond…” What is beyond? Hope. Continuous learning and growth, generated by the “new solution, new problem” cycle. Embrace it joyfully. Help your people adopt this mind-set. It will make a big difference in their lives.

We do not purport to provide a comprehensive guide to managing change in this book. The following chapters, however, do provide some specific recommendations about things you can do to improve your ability to manage change.