Navigating Change, Outside of Our Comfort Zone

Ryan Kletz, vice president, Classic Air’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Virginia Beach, Virginia, was a speaker at ACCA’s IE3 conference last week in D.C. His topic was navigating change. Here’s some of what he had to say.

“I’m actually someone who hates change,” Kletz said. “It’s so difficult for me. I love black and white, I eat the same thing every day, and I just don’t like new things. But, when we get outside our comfort zone, change is so important. It is the backbone of a business. We could do the same thing day after day, and this is the proverbial get the same results. If we want to grow or change cultures, we have to get outside of our comfort zone.”

The concept of a change wheel helped Ryan move through the stages of change. “When you first start to work with change, you have a fear of loss because you’re losing your security, your way of life. You almost become paralyzed by doing something different. And, by the time you circle all the way back around, once you fully embrace it, you get to the part where you’re satisfied and you’re focused, you’re fully integrated in the process.”

During that entire time frame, there’s a danger zone and it’s right in the middle of going through a change. “There are dangers in change, and that’s why you really have to stay on top of it. Having that anxiety is natural. It’s not a comment to your situation.”

Ryan learned the family business inside and out while making his way up to the vice president position he holds today. He was featured in The NEWS’ 2017 Top 40 Under 40.