Have you ever tried to implement a new idea or concept into your work environment only to be met with sharp resistance? Even when it is something that will bring benefits people will often fight you every inch of the way. So how do you make an important change that will be accepted and embraced?
Many years ago I pursued an aquarium hobby. I wanted to have one of those beautiful tanks with colourful fish and plants in it. I had tried several times in the past to keep a few fish in small tanks or bowls but was never successful. My fish never survived beyond a short period of time. Since there are many people that have beautiful aquariums which they have kept over a long term I figured my problem was a lack of understanding of this hobby.

I signed up for a night school course that was available at a local university campus on how to keep aquariums. The course was taught by a qualified person with a love for the hobby. It was a fascinating program. There I learned about the biology of fish and their environment as well as creating thriving conditions for fish in aquariums. I learned where my failures occurred in my previous attempts in this hobby. Armed with newfound knowledge I was able to get started in this new and enjoyable endeavor.

One of the most important things that I learned during the course was how to properly introduce a new fish to an established tank. You can’t just buy a beautiful new fish and put it in a tank where there is an establish community of fish because by doing this it’s chances for survival are small. Fish are territorial creatures and a new fish will be bullied by the ones in the tank. They will not allow the new one a safe place to prosper. Fish compete for food and they use their territory for their well being. Each fish in the tank has an understanding and respect for one another’s space. The new fish simply has nowhere to live in the tank and unless it is a very aggressive fish that can bully another out of its environment it will not prosper, it will eventually die.

But there is a way to solve this problem. Rather than simply putting the new fish into the tank and hoping for the best, you completely change the aquarium environment before introducing a new fish into the tank by moving around all the items in the tank such as the rocks, ornaments, and plants (if it’s a fresh water tank), so there will be no familiar territories and all of the fish, including the new one, will have to find and establish their new homes. When you do this all the fish will busy themselves with this activity and each will establish a new home and territory including the newly introduced fish.

This is a valuable lesson to learn and one that can be applied to business. In cases where changes in a policy or a program is necessary, a complete alteration in the existing one is helpful in the successful adaptation and buy-in to the change. Now instead of opposition or resentment you have created an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of whatever your business does with good new ideas. There will be those that you will never make happy regardless of what you do, but do not let those with negative opinions and views dampen your enthusiasm. During the process you'll gain insight about everyone involved and may be surprised at what you find.