Chameleogenics UK Ltd

By: Chris | December 31, 2015

So here we are at the beginning of another year.  I am reminded of some years ago when I was a young lad and one of my hobbies was to ring the bells at a grand parish church in Lincolnshire.  Although I enjoyed the regular Sunday mornings and ringing for the weddings (I used to get paid a princely sum of £2 per wedding, which was great if we had lots in the summer!) the most enjoyable ring of the year was New Year’s Eve.

 

In those days we would ring for 20 minutes from 2330 to 2350 on the 31st December, but what was especially nice is that as respect for the ending of the old year the bells were pealed “half-muffled”.  Now, hard to explain in text only, the bells chime for one round and ring with a muffled thudding sound for the next, so the link here gives you an idea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCVqfKU1HdM  To achieve this beautiful sound, the clapper in the bell has a thick leather pad attached securely on one side to prevent metal hitting metal…  It is a most wonderful haunting melody that is produced.

 

At 2350 the bells would go quiet and I would ascend into the belfry with the Bell-Captain and we would clamber about around the bells and remove the muffles, ready to fully strike in the New Year at midnight with a full chorus of eight chiming bells.

 

Unfortunately, this practice was highly dangerous.  The bells sit upright, finely balanced, each on a wooden stay.  They are so balanced that if you were to push one of the bells, several tonnes of uncontrolled metal would just revolve on a massive wheel, most probably removing limbs as it did so.

 

Unsurprisingly, this practice of “demuffling” has long since been banned as a serious risk to health and safety, but for years and years it continued unchallenged, despite the risk being evident for all to see!  Luckily in our church, the practice finished before any accidents occurred, but what brought about the change?

 

You could argue that Health & Safety Legislation initiated the change or that it was a rule set from the Guild of Bellringers.  Whatever it was, the fact remains that it was a change that happened and was adhered to.  To this day, the change has sustained.

 

Sustaining change is one of the most difficult things to achieve.  In the case of my church bells, I really miss the half-muffled ringing and then conversion to normal noisy striking bells heralding the New Year.  The temptation to revert to the old ways is high and rose-tinted spectacle views that “nothing ever went wrong” and “it was better in those days” could sway the balance… but understanding the reasons why the change occurred stops that temptation turning into bad judgement.

 

So when you are considering ringing the changes in your business this year, think about the reasons behind it.  How are you going to sell that change to your team?  What will make the change stick?  Why should they change something that they are comfortable with or enjoy doing? 

 

Sometimes our love of the old ways of doing things can cloud our judgement.  When leading your changes it is vital to ensure that everyone involved understands why and what could happen if nothing changed.

 

So, best wishes for 2016 and enjoy ringing in your changes.