Change Under Pressure: Why Now Is Often the Right Time

"Change brings opportunity"-Nido Qubein

Change. What a scary word, right?

So often, when we heard the word change, it can feel daunting. Sometimes it can lead us to thinking “here we go again”, and worst case scenario, it has us wanting to run for the hills.

What if we changed the way we thought about change?

I want to highlight that change fatigue is a real thing, where change is happening far too often, before people or organizations can even figure out why the change has happened and prior to getting a grasp on the present, another change is implemented.

That’s not the type of change I am talking about here.

I’m talking about change in regards to making your practice better. I was chatting with a program manager the other day and they told me that they had a full case load and were interested in hiring me to help them implement a new assessment tool into their case management practice, however, right now they were at max capacity regarding case loads, waiting on budgets, and everything else, and didn’t feel that now was the right time.

My response?

I offered a question to reflect on, as it is something I reflected on often any time I was thinking about introducing change “Will this change hinder our work, or will it strengthen our ability to meet program and contractual goals?”. When the answer is that it strengthens practice, that is often the most appropriate moment to begin—even if implementation starts small.

A full caseload and the potential for increased referrals is not a barrier; it is an indicator of readiness. This is often the ideal time to introduce tools and frameworks that reduce uncertainty for staff, increase consistency in decision-making, and support more effective case management. This tool is designed to do exactly that—streamlining how case managers assess, plan, and deliver interventions, while removing much of the guesswork from treatment planning.

So if you’re thinking about change. Ask yourself the question “will it hinder our work or will it strengthen our ability to meet program and contractual goals?” and furthermore, will it allow us to offer more effective, evidence based services to the people that we serve. If the answer is yes, it’s time stop fearing and being resistance to change, and embrace the process.

You don’t have to do it alone.

There are coaches and consultants who have done the work and have the credentials to support you.

Find someone you trust, that has the knowledge and expertise, and extend the invitation for collaboration and guidance.

Change isn’t scary or something to fear. It’s something to embrace that can have profound impacts on your practice and services (if done right and intentionally).