A person learns a new way of acting, yet familiar descriptions continue to circulate around them. The same can happen to a team or organisation: practice changes before its reputation catches up.
That does not invalidate the change. It is a reminder that actions and perceptions of them are different things.
What do the observations show?
Recognition can encourage, but the assessment of change should not depend on it alone. What has been done differently? How often does the new approach appear? What has it affected?
For me, these questions are stronger than reassurance. They help distinguish actual change from a wish that something were already different.
Feedback from others can provide important information too. A person’s own assessment does not always capture every effect. Observations from both inside and outside deserve room.
Trust needs experience
If change concerns reliability in collaboration, others cannot be expected to revise their view after a single announcement. The new approach needs to become visible repeatedly.
Imagine a team whose information-sharing has improved. People who previously received information late may need several experiences of the new practice before their expectations change.
This need not mean that change has not begun. Instead, it calls for continued action, attention to feedback and a clear explanation of what has changed.
I think patience and precision support each other. A new direction can be strengthened without demanding immediate recognition. At the same time, it matters whether the change is becoming visible in other people’s everyday experience too.
