Five tips for being change-ready
The comfort of the status quo is hard to beat, even when the status quo lacks comfort.
Most people are secretly change-averse (even those who love the challenge and stimulation). We're creatures of habit and leading ourselves and others through changes is a skill. If change is a constant that cannot necessarily be managed as planned, how do we deal with its inevitability?
It makes sense to be change-ready. Here are five tips for managing change:
1. Focus on addressing feelings
People have feelings. Ignoring this will not speed up the outcome, nor ensure it. Unacknowledged feelings can sabotage the process, stall it, be highly counter-productive and even prevent the change from fully integrating. It is a basic human need to be acknowledged and sometimes just the time taken to listen to concerns gets buy-in.
2. Change is a process
Change can be triggered by a single event, but change itself is not an event – it is a process that must be allowed its full course to be successful. Trying to jump or ignore the difficult bits, or even the parts that seem too banal, can prevent the outcome from being realised.
3. Trust the process
Knowing its a process and planning for this rather than attaching dogmatically to the specifics of logistics or technicalities, will enable you to negotiate challenges. Trust the process. Do not give up. (Remember that often, the moment when things seem the most disheartening, is exactly when the process is about to shift towards resolution. See point 5)
4. You cannot communicate too much.
Information sharing and discussions are vital to successful change – and this means more than a quick briefing. For people to overcome their fears and resistance, and for you to get complete buy-in, communication is key. Lots of it! Group sessions, one-on-ones, chats in the hallway, quick updates, emails about minor changes, details about implications – all of these add up to a sense of safety and engagement – two critical aspects of effective change management.
5. When the going gets tough – pay attention
Change processes cycle through a make-or-break point, the point of no return. To lead the process to this point takes focussed attention, ensuring everyone is on board. Then, just before you begin to see the light of day, everything may seem to go awry. The energy changes, everyone gets uncomfortable, perhaps there is criticism, in-fighting or questioning - this is the moment to pay attention. Be calm, trust the process, communicate and bear witness. You are about to change gear and break-through to the creative stage of the change cycle. This is the point that many lose hope and give up, but it the moment that can lead you to the other side.
So, don’t run, hide or ignore the inevitable. Be brave, get engaged and ride the waves.
Turn and face the change!