The start of a new year is upon us and with it, many changes in our environments. Numerous countries, including the U.S. and Canada, are looking at new national leadership. AI continues to take hold and opportunities- and challenges!- to integrate it with our businesses and lives are pervasive. Flexible and hybrid workplaces continue to evolve and adapt.
There is a LOT of change in our environments
How do we best manage and lead through changes- especially if we are finding it challenging to catch our breaths with it all? First, it’s important to define the difference between change and transition, as those distinctions are important. William Bridges, a pioneer in thought leadership of transitions, defines “change as [sic] the external event or situation that takes place.” Transition, on the other hand, “is the inner psychological process that people go through as they internalize and comes to terms with the new situation that the change brings about.” (https://wmbridges.com/about/what-is-transition/)
Change happens TO us; Transition happens IN us
This distinction is important as we lead ourselves and others, especially if we are not immediately on board with the change. After any change is announced, Bridges indicates that there are 3 phases that people go through as they move to transition: The Ending (“the way it was is gone”), The Neutral Zone (“the messy middle” where the integrated way forward is not clear), and the New Beginning (the new way forward where acceptance, meaning making and integration occurs).
If you or your teams are struggling in that messy middle, below are some ideas to allow the new beginning and pathway emerge:
- Microbreaks – You know when you take a shower or go for a walk and a brilliant idea comes to you? Allow that to happen. Sometimes putting a problem offline allows the path and solution to emerge. Allow some magic to complement the executive decision making.
- Reflect on past changes and transitions. How did you and your team make sense of those changes? What allowed you to transition? What would you do differently? Identify what tools and experience you already have to apply to this current environment.
- Be a scientist. Try on new thoughts, new behaviors, new ways of thinking and being. Like a scientist, develop a hypothesis, see how it goes, and evaluate the results. Collect evidence of what could work, and what didn’t. Small bets often lead to big results.
- Be curious. What is this change bringing forth as possibility? Sometimes when we reflect on our lives we see that changes we thought were disastrous or difficult actually were in our best interest long term. It allowed us to lean into possibilities that we didn’t know were available or necessary.
- Acknowledge the fear if any is present. When we ignore the fear of changes, it tends to seep in the cracks. That which we can name, we can manage. That which we don’t can wreak havoc.
The messy middle and transition zones show you the way forward if we allow it to emerge. What transitions are you experiencing? What are the possibilities that are emerging to show you the way? Finally, consider: how does your best and highest self as a leader want to show up during these changes? Let that and your values lead the way.
Elevate your Leadership Potential
To learn more about navigating changes and executive coaching, reach out to Rachel for a consultation.