Spring has sprung!
I know this because my sinuses are in full bloom. A random rabbit showed up in our backyard a couple of days after Easter. I had to remind my husband that if you feed it, it will stay…
Spring represents new beginnings and transformations. Fresh starts.
Spring also represents resilience…the perennial nature of life’s cycles. What seemed long gone was only dormant, waiting to bloom again.
Resilience…defined as “toughness; the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties,” and “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.” (Oxford Languages)
A few years ago, we were forced into resilience; the pandemic required us to be tough and withstand difficulties that we couldn’t have predicted.
So much is outside our control. We are often presented with changing conditions that require us to reconsider what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.
In 2020, I was Chapter President for International Coaching Federation (ICF) Los Angeles. On March 11, 2020, we held our scheduled, in-person chapter event, and two days later, we were on lock-down.
At that time, we were making decisions in two-week increments (remember that?), AND we had several in-person events that we quickly had to pivot to virtual. We also had a couple of our previous Chapter Presidents who offered to deliver a brilliant multi-session program on…’building resilience in difficult times.’
We delivered what our membership needed in the moment. It’s a testament to our team’s willingness to ‘recover quickly from difficulties.’
The pandemic represented an unanticipated change that few could have predicted have such a widespread impact.
So, what have we learned?
- We CAN work remotely and still be effective.
- We CAN lead remotely and still be effective.
- We CAN maintain our connection with others…thank goodness for technology!
Then there’s anticipated change…those seasonal, cyclical changes that we can (and should) plan for and can see coming…KNOWING that the leaves on trees will start to bloom in spring, and then fall to the ground in autumn.
So, what does this have to do with leadership?
Death and taxes are NOT the only things we can count on. Add change to that list. Resistance to change is futile.
So, how do you make change work FOR you? Here are a few tips to help yourself and your team to be resilient while navigating change…
Anticipate it. Got goals? Something usually has to change to achieve them.
Whether it’s large-scale organizational goals or individual sales goals, you can bet that someone’s current approach, maybe yours, is going to be impacted by change.
The goal is to get ahead of any change so you can RESPOND to it rather than REACT to it. One way to do this is to…
Understand it. Leaders must understand how change impacts people. It’s not ‘one size fits all.’
This article was recently shared with me and includes some key highlights:
- Resistance to change is inevitable; as a leader, you can overcome it if you understand it.
- (Rick) Maurer’s 3 Levels of Resistance to Change:
- ‘I don’t get it’ (the reason for the change isn’t clear)
- ‘I don’t like it’ (negative reaction to the perceived impact of the change)
- ‘I don’t like YOU’ (there’s a lack of trust between us)
- Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Bottom line: not everyone will move through change at the same pace as others, including you. As a leader, you must meet each team member where they are.
Manage it. I always thought of myself as an ‘early adopter with questions;’ change happens, AND I want to understand how we got here. Without the opportunity to ask questions, I’m going to lose any enthusiasm around where we’re going.
It’s a journey. William Bridges, the author of Transitions, shares how every change begins with an ending.
Each person’s perception of the loss they are experiencing will include a certain amount of grief for ‘the way things were.’ Leadership empathy is key, meeting people where they are and walking the change journey with them…with resilience.
So remember…
‘Nature is a mirror – inspiring us, teaching us, and deepening our sense of belonging in the world.’ – We Are Nature, Daily OM