We Are Changing Your Perspective: The Story of Embracing (or Resisting) Change
We Are Changing Your Perspective: The Story of Embracing (or Resisting) Change
It was a rainy Tuesday in October when Maya first heard the words: “We are changing your perspective.” She was sitting in a fluorescent-lit conference room, clutching a lukewarm coffee, listening to her company’s CEO announce a sweeping digital transformation initiative. The phrase sounded poetic—almost inspiring—but to Maya, it felt like a threat.
For twelve years, she’d managed the customer service desk with paper logs, face-to-face meetings, and a Rolodex that hadn’t been updated since 2012. Change? She’d seen trends come and go. But this—this felt different. It wasn’t just a new software or a rebranding. It was a fundamental shift in how they saw their work, their customers, even themselves.
As she walked back to her desk, umbrella dripping onto the linoleum floor, Maya wondered: Is change really better?
The Comfort of the Known
Humans are wired for stability. Our brains conserve energy by relying on routines, habits, and familiar patterns. Neuroscientists call this “cognitive ease”—a state where the mind operates with minimal effort because it’s navigating well-worn paths [1]. For Maya, her Rolodex wasn’t just outdated—it was a symbol of reliability. She knew every client by voice, by story, by the rhythm of their complaints and compliments.
Psychologist Daniel Kahneman, in his groundbreaking work Thinking, Fast and Slow, explains that our “System 1” thinking—fast, intuitive, and emotional—prefers the status quo because it feels safe [2]. Change, by contrast, activates “System 2”—slow, deliberate, and effortful. No wonder Maya felt exhausted just hearing the word “transformation.”
“The brain is a prediction machine. It likes to know what’s coming next. Uncertainty is metabolically expensive.”
— Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, neuroscientist and author of How Emotions Are Made [3]
The Catalyst: When Change Finds You
Maya tried to ignore the changes at first. She kept her paper logs, politely declined training sessions, and muttered under her breath about “unnecessary upgrades.” But then, something shifted. A longtime client—a retired schoolteacher named Eleanor—called in distress. Her account had been flagged by the new AI system as “low priority” because she rarely made large purchases.
Maya knew better. Eleanor had been with the company for 35 years. She paid her bills on time, referred neighbors, and once sent handwritten thank-you notes to the team during the holidays. But the algorithm didn’t see loyalty—it saw transaction volume.
In that moment, Maya realized: the problem wasn’t change itself. It was how change was being implemented—without human context, without empathy, without perspective.
Changing the Lens, Not Just the Tools
Maya decided to attend the next training session—not to comply, but to understand. She learned that the new platform could actually track customer sentiment, lifetime value, and even note personal details like birthdays or pet names. The technology wasn’t replacing human connection; it was meant to enhance it—if used wisely.
She began experimenting. She added notes about Eleanor’s cat, Mr. Whiskers. She flagged accounts with long histories for special attention. Slowly, her colleagues noticed. Her customer satisfaction scores soared. The CEO invited her to join the “Change Ambassador” team.
What Maya discovered aligns with research from Harvard Business Review: successful organizational change isn’t about tools or processes alone—it’s about shifting mindsets [4]. When people feel heard and included in the change process, resistance turns into ownership.
Is Change Always Better?
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: not all change is good. Sometimes, the “old way” holds wisdom that innovation overlooks. Consider the case of Blockbuster dismissing Netflix in 2000—or Kodak inventing the digital camera but failing to capitalize on it [5]. In both cases, change was necessary, but the perspective was wrong: they saw disruption as a threat, not an opportunity.
Conversely, some traditions deserve preservation. Indigenous communities, for example, maintain ecological knowledge passed down for generations—knowledge that modern science is only now validating [6]. Blindly chasing “progress” can erase valuable perspectives.
So, is change better? It depends on your lens.
“Change is not inherently good or bad. It’s a mirror. It shows us what we value—and what we’re willing to lose.”
— Adapted from Margaret Wheatley, leadership expert
The Power of Perspective Shifts
Neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself—means we can literally change how we see the world [7]. When Maya stopped seeing the new system as a replacement and started seeing it as a tool for deeper connection, everything changed.
This mirrors findings in positive psychology. Studies show that reframing challenges as opportunities increases resilience and well-being [8]. It’s not denial—it’s deliberate perspective-taking.
Maya’s story isn’t unique. Across industries, individuals who adapt their perspective—not just their behavior—thrive amid disruption. They ask: What can I learn? How can this serve my values? Who might I become through this?
When to Resist Change
But perspective shifts shouldn’t mean blind acceptance. Ethical change requires discernment. Ask yourself:
- Does this change align with my core values?
- Who benefits, and who might be harmed?
- Is this driven by genuine need or by trend-chasing?
As author and activist adrienne maree brown writes in Emergent Strategy, “Change is constant. But not all change is growth” [9]. Sometimes, the most radical act is to say: Not this way.
Maya learned this when the company proposed eliminating all phone support in favor of chatbots. She pushed back—not out of fear, but from experience. “Some of our most vulnerable customers,” she argued, “need a human voice.” Her perspective helped shape a hybrid model that kept both efficiency and empathy.
The Invitation
“We are changing your perspective” doesn’t have to be a corporate slogan. It can be an invitation—to see differently, to question assumptions, to find meaning in flux.
Change isn’t automatically better. But a willingness to shift perspective almost always is. It opens doors to innovation without erasing wisdom. It builds bridges between generations, technologies, and worldviews.
Maya still keeps her Rolodex on her desk—not for use, but as a reminder. A reminder that tools evolve, but human connection remains the compass. And sometimes, the most powerful change isn’t out there in the world—it’s in here, behind our eyes.
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”```
— William James, philosopher and psychologist [10]
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