Change can be stressful. Sometimes the unfamiliar leaps at us from out of the blue, and can be a bit scary. But change, as they say, is inevitable. So how do we manage change? Or better yet, how do we embrace change and make it work for us? One of the best ways to embrace change is to be prepared.

Be constantly learning new things. Read voraciously. Take courses. Use strategic thinking to anticipate change.

Those who best anticipate change and welcome it are often best prepared to take advantage of it in a way that can put them ahead of the pack. Remember that change is how we grow, whether it is in our work or our personal lives.

So the next time you feel a change coming, instead of shrinking away, you can say, “Bring it on!”

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this particular piece of popular programming I’ll briefly explain. Executives from large corporations such as Waste Management, White Castle, and 7- Eleven appear on the show allowing television crews to follow them as they go “undercover” and find both the good and the bad of their corporation’s inner workings. Through the week both employer and employee learn from each other, and create a new perspective on how to make  better teams in their organization.

The premise may sound a bit cheesy (let’s face it most media saturated reality shows are), but I can’t help but smile at the end of each episode. I love seeing the upside- down model of leadership and its impact on those leading. Sometimes life’s most important lessons can be learned at the bottom, rather then the top, which can be humbling for each of us.

Personally I have begun taking this mindset into the office. Are we truly taking time to learn and grow from those who are “doing” it, or do we dictate rules and regulations without the opportunity to be taught ourselves? It’s a hard question to ask ourselves, and one that I don’t immediately know the answer to.  However it is something that I will continue to ponder… next Sunday in front of my television.