When you need to adopt a change: 5 tips for handling change at work
Spring seems like the best season to talk about one of my favorite topics ... change. As in our previous series, we will look at change from all three levels: self, team, and organization. Let's start with us; after all, change, no matter how large-scale it is, is very personal. Organizational change doesn't happen unless personal change happens.
How many of you have been through a change lately? I can't imagine any of us NOT raising our hand. The answer I get most often is .. just one change? Yeah...I hear you. We need a new word for change because all we do is flex, shift, pivot, and evolve daily.
Most of us have read a book or two (or 10) about managing change, surviving change, maximizing change, embracing change, etc. The truth is most of us resist change at first no matter how positive it is. I can't say we always react with resistance, but most of the time, we might react with a grimace, an eye roll, a sigh, or a "well, let's try it out" attitude.
Sometimes, we might react with: "Well, it's about time!" or, "Hallelujah!". But, regardless of how we feel about the change, we know we probably have to do something differently to make it work, and that takes some effort mentally or, sometimes, emotionally.
So, when we experience a change at work (I am only focusing on work in this post), how do you normally respond? Are you glad, mad, or numb? Or, maybe all three? To truly accept and make changes work, we need to focus on ourselves first and work on our own action plans.
Here are my best tips for handling change at work. Some of these can be situation-dependent, and you should think about how you feel about the change to work through it.
Find out why.
The first step I counsel any leader on when implementing a change is to communicate why you are making the change. It could be a re-org, a new product line, a merger, retiring an old system, or even lay-offs. Whatever the change, be transparent about why you are doing this. If you fake it or lie, people will know. Be transparent. If you don't know why then you should feel free to find out. There is nothing wrong with asking your manager or sip-level manager why the change is coming down. I know so many people are afraid to speak up; don't be. You can ask why respectfully.
Understand how it impacts your role.
Once you know the why and what, talk to your manager about how it might impact you and your team. Then, spend some personal reflection time to figure out the personal impacts. Be careful not to scenario spin or make up worse-case scenarios, a tactic called "catastrophizing" (this is my new favorite word). Focus on the facts and what is known. If you are good at reading between the lines, go ahead, but tread lightly. When you can draw a line to how it impacts you, only then can you react appropriately and formulate a plan.
Determine where you feel challenged.
One of my favorite models is David Rock's SCARF Model. It stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. When we experience change, one or more of these factors can be threatened. You might feel pinched. Figure out which areas may be causing you angst. Will the change upset your status somehow; will you lose some of your freedom; will your relationships change? Determine what areas may be positively or negatively impacted. This will give you concrete areas to focus on or ask your leadership about.
Come up with actions to move through.
Once you know why, how it impacts you, and how you might feel as a result, it is important to generate your personal change plan. One of the biggest changes I see happening in the workplace today are those being called back to an office. I can see how all 5 SCARF factors could be challenging for someone. If you feel it isn't fair because your role is called back while others aren't, then ask questions about the criteria or talk with your manager to see what kind of flexibility you can arrange if you have kids or aging parents you need to take care of. Writing down an action plan will help remove the emotion and get you focused on figuring out what you can do.
Stay connected.
When going through change, other people can be our best support. If you need to commiserate, go ahead, but then figure out how to be more proactive. Clarity and confidence come from action. Being disconnected or in your bubble will only make the change more daunting. Stay connected to people, leadership, communications, town halls, etc. Just resist the virtual water cooler too much as you may only hear unsubstantiated rumors.
Change on any level can be difficult. We may welcome it or reject it; either way, it can be stressful and add to our workload. Approach change with questions, listening, self-reflection, and planning. Those active steps will get you through.
Next week we'll discuss the additional steps you can take with your team.