Everything changes, all of the time. We all know that in order to progress in anything - our career, our personal goals, nailing the perfect recipe - some sort of change needs to happen. A change of strategy. A change of routine. A change of ingredients. 

So why is it that as human beings we tend to resist change? We unpack the answer to this question with Shelley Laslett, co-founder and CEO of Vitae, in our latest episode of The Pay Off.

To create change, you must recognise the issue

Shelley explains to us about neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to change itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. As a management consultant, Shelley spent the first part of her career in innovation and strategy consulting, working with clients to get them thinking differently to create new strategies, products and services, and embrace the digital world. Although her work was all about creating change, as a social scientist, she realised that unless her clients realised and were aligned on their issues, change was not possible. Going back into further study in neuroscience, Shelley paired her social science knowledge with ‘hard’ neuroscience research, and formed methodologies to help leaders and teams to scale, grow, and enhance their businesses. From this, Vitae was born.

Embrace technology; unlock your brain's potential

People and businesses often misunderstand the purpose of technology and automation. Shelley talks about technology as a catalyst that enables us to focus on more complex and interesting work; work that our brains thrive on. We at KeyPay resonate with this a lot - we use automation to completely eliminate those repetitive and mundane tasks that payroll administrators don’t want to do, so they can use their skills and potential to focus on more strategic work. Automation enhances our processes rather than completely replacing roles altogether. Businesses that realise this are the ones that are maximising their full potential, and staying ahead of the competition.

Diversity + collaboration = a strong team

We truly believe that diversity in background, skill and thought is key for a successful workplace culture. Shelley explains that sometimes, personal biases and siloed departments in the workplace can cause ‘us and them’ behaviour. To ensure this sort of environment doesn’t form in the workplace, we must make sure our teams work together rather than against each other. Encourage the workforce to focus on the company’s collective goals: what do we want to achieve together as a workforce? Whatever that is, we work together towards that as a team, using our diverse skills and strengths collaboratively.

The world is always changing, and to avoid becoming stagnant or complacent, we must learn to evolve and adapt. Shelley’s words of wisdom are especially useful and important in the rapidly changing environment we’re finding ourselves in now, and we hope you take inspiration from this episode.