Lead change
Uncertainty, fear, and frustration are some of the typical emotions a person experiences while encountering changes at work. If these feelings are left alone resentment, disengagement, and poor performance start to set in.
Many industries are being disrupted due to technological advances, entrepreneurial aspirations, and higher levels of transparency. These changes are placing more demands on the worker and higher levels of complexity throughout the organization.
Initial enthusiasm is typical in the first phase of a workplace change but having the endurance to see a successful transition through is rare. Being able to navigate change and measure what matters is a skill that can be developed and give you a competitive advantage.
Here is a three-part process for successfully navigating change at work: ACT.
- Acknowledge every area the change will impact
Who will be involved? What additional responsibilities will they now have? Many managers and owners don’t want to hear negative feedback regarding a change. Who does? However, by not acknowledging the resistance that your team will encounter is foolish and detrimental. Hearing feedback may require a thick skin, but it should be viewed as a process to allow people to be heard and an opportunity to identify gaps. - Concerns and commitments for effective action
One of my strategies is the Effective Action Circle. This is a process of uncovering concerns and identifying commitments. Being effective means your ability to produce the desired result. Many knowledge workers are not as effective as they could be simply because they don’t take the time to uncover concerns and are instead fixated on outcomes. These concerns dominate their thinking and leave them with fear, anxiety, and stress. Yet, when we habitually write down our concerns and commitments, we grow in effectiveness. - Test mindset
Let go of certainty and stop trying to control an outcome. We experience high levels of stress when our expectations are not met. Many managers and owners have misguided expectations when it comes to the adoption of a new change. When you have a test mindset you are constantly learning and ask yourself powerful questions. What is working? What is not working? Knowing what we now know, what would we do differently? Having a test mindset will make words like process and patience a routine part of office conversations.
by Eric Papp
Time Management Speaker