Since my last newsletter we have seen lots of change in the world that has impacted us all in very different ways.  As you know, it’s the way in which all this change is managed that concentrates our minds for how we expect it to be managed in the future.  If you’ve experienced change that has been managed well in the past you will be more likely to view change as ‘positive’.  However, if your experience is that change has caused pain and misery, you are more likely to view change in a ‘negative’ light.  The way we plan and manage change has become an essential skill for all leaders and I’d like to focus on some of the key lessons that have been learnt from some recent ‘managing change’ workshops that I’ve been facilitating.  The workshops were focused on helping leaders to managing their own as well as their people’s emotions through times of change.

When people react to change – People don’t start reacting to the change when the event actually takes place.  They start reacting as soon as they get a whisper that there may be some change around the corner.  It may be something small or life changing, but the first hint of change means that people will start to question the WIIFM factor – the ‘what’s in it for me?’  Why is this important for us to understand?  Well, it means that we need to be extremely sensitive as well as open and honest with all our communications to staff about the change and why it’s happening.  We sometimes fall into the category of thinking that we don’t have much to say at the moment so the best approach is to say nothing at all.  However, this can cause you more problems in the long run as in the absence of no communication from the top, your teams will start to fill the void with their own words and more often than not, jump to the wrong conclusions.  Another element that you should be aware of is that we often need to repeat the same message using different methods and then check to see how that same message has been received.  Each person picks out something that is important to them and it is vital that the same message is understood by everyone so that if there are any misconceptions you can pick them up and rectify them quickly.

You’re ahead of the pack – As their leader, you are a little ahead of your staff in the knowledge of the impending change.  It may only be five minutes or it could be as much as five weeks or months, but it is the first time your team are hearing this message.  Even if you think the change is welcome or has little impact on your people, you need to be aware that they may see it in a different light to you and may react very differently to you.  Think back to when you first heard the message – what was your initial reaction?  With this in mind, you may be able to anticipate some of their concerns and reactions and prepare for them in your communication.  It will show that you have thought through the consequences of how the change will affect them positively and negatively and help them to understand what you see the next steps being as well as the timescales you are working towards.

We need to go through all the stages of the change curve to gain acceptance – The Change Curve was originally developed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross when she was explaining the grieving process.  It has since been adapted as a method of managing change as it describes the various stages that we must go through when faced with any change in our life.  No matter how small or large the change is, you need to go through all elements of the ‘change curve’ before you have totally accepted the change.  So whether another motorist has cut you up in the traffic in the morning, or you’re going through some enormous change in your life, you will visit all stages of the change curve.  And of course the smaller the impact of the change for you, the faster your journey will be through the curve.   As we all have numerous changes going on in our lives on any one day, we will be experiencing various stages on the different changes in our live. So when you see someone reacting differently in your team to a communication that you expected to go very smoothly, you may want to investigate further.  It may be the final straw, to an already huge amount of change that the person is already experiencing in their life.

Spend time on the issues you can manage and influence – Many managers and leaders tell me that there are never enough hours in the day.  When we analyse what they do, we often find that they are spending too much time and effort on the items that they don’t have a great deal of control over.  Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits or Highly Effective People (amongst many other titles) introduces us to the concept of Circles of Concern and Influence.  If you become aware of where you spend your time and energy, it may help you to highlight some very interesting facts about yourself. Below is an exercise that you can either do by yourself or with your team.
Firstly take some post-it notes.  Write down all your concerns (those items that keep you awake at night), one per post-it note.  When you’ve finished, draw up a large circle on a piece of flipchart paper and label it ‘concern’.  Inside it draw a smaller circle and label this one ‘influence’.  One by one plot your post-it notes in the circles – those that you can influence and do something about should be plotted in the ‘influence’ circle.  If you can’t do anything about them, plot them in the circle of concern.  This exercise helps you to recognise that although some of the issues concern you, you can’t actually do anything about them, so it’s best to focus your time and energy on those that you can do something about.  If you do it with your team it will help them to focus on the same issues and should result in you all becoming more effective at managing your time on things that you can do something about rather than those that you can’t.  You’ll also find that over a period of time your circle of influence begins to grow and grow as you push the boundaries.

A little bit about me – I genuinely care about making a difference to the organisations I work with.  So whether it’s developing your staff to be the best they can be or providing consultancy to improve the way you work – I will work with you to make a positive difference for all your customers. My latest project has been to complete twelve half day modules called ‘Skills for Life’.  This bite size learning means that you can learn a little put it into practice and then come back and learn some more. If you’d like to know more about them, please get in touch.  They could help you focus on some sustainable survival techniques for the future!

I’d like to finish with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi who said ‘be the change you want to see in the world’.  Don’t wait for others to ring the changes and then moan when it’s not the way you want it to be.  Be in control of your destiny and start leading the way!

I look forward to catching up with you again very soon.