Change is inevitable
How to prepare for what’s next?
The reasons vary, but one thing is certain, people can consciously or subconsciously be resistant to change.
Angela Merkel, has been Chancellor of Germany for sixteen years, as Merkel leaves office this year, she has an enormous 62% approval rating. Her remarkable ability, doesn’t sound very remarkable, but it is, simply put, her consistency. People will choose what they know over and over again, unless their personal comfort threshold is negatively impacted.
Whether people have a stability, control or structural attribute in their natural profile, their muscle memory is to say, “wait, I am not comfortable with this sudden change”. My mother likes to say “no”, when first confronted by change, because she likes to buy herself time to think without being pressured, then she responds with her actual answer to change. Personally I like stability and continuity, I feel one can strategically enrich and improve people, projects and processes better without the noise from change. However, avoiding emotional noise from change is no longer possible, in reality change is the norm, our fight and flight triggers are assaulting our abilities at a faster pace and the velocity of the world we live in now, amplifies the pressure we wrestle with to function on a basic level and it is even more stressful to break through with growth and innovation.
What to do with our new reality:
STRATEGY
Acknowledging and inventorying the changes that are active or about to be activated is essential, I tell clients just like it’s a mistake to set up a tea party in a tumble dryer, it is folly to blindly throw hard work at unexamined upheaval. Strategy, engineers a plan of attack that empowers one to respond more and react less to one’s circumstances, it also helps provoke a ‘Who needs to be in the loop on this?’, ‘Who do I need to reach out to and get them involved?’
COMMMUNICATION
There are dozens of naturally occurring misunderstandings when change is involved, some abilities get extremely excited about change, while others you live or work with, are angry and defensive about change. In all my years of teaching, I can spend a large amount of time working with leaders on how to align, onboard and engineer cooperation with those they need buy-in from, it is a huge source of disconnect.
Holding onto what one knows or has, can act as an active obstacle to creativity and growth, white knuckling what has historically made a person feel safe or secure, engineers a rigid approach that ultimately alienates and creates atrophy. Negotiating with self and others on the future stabilization and the future solutions to developing a process that solidifies and encourages others provides courage for self and others to step out.
RESOURCES
Time, Energy and Abilities are the ballast we have to manage the stress of change and fuel the decisive actions essential for growth.
What is the ‘Highest and Best use of your Time today?’
Where are you intentionally spending your money, mental resources and the assistance of others?
How am I tapping into my natural abilities to confront and adapt to the change assaulting my senses?
Leverage your ARC leadership profile, reach out to us at ARC if you need assistance creating and executing a plan for yourself and your team.