Accept Change.
Adapting to change can be challenging.
Change is as continual as life. Things change, whether we welcome it or not. When you think about it, our own lives go through the same changes as organizations; we experience restructuring, downsizing, and “upsizing” just like companies do. Our own little “organizations” grow when we have kids and get smaller when they move out. Perhaps a separation or divorce causes us to go through a restructuring.
Consider how Covid-19, and the its “variants” have turned our lives upside down. We are worried about getting sick. We are worried about the health of our families and are nervous about the possibility of bringing the virus home even with masks, hand-sanitizer and and social distancing. No one was prepared for this pandemic. We have all had to adapt in a multitude of ways. We have had no choice.
What Can We Do?
When it comes to the pandemic, there’s nothing we can do except do our best to stay well. But for other business or life-changing situations consider this: Change blows through our lives, sometimes like a breeze, sometimes like wind and sometimes like a storm. You can bow your head to try to buck it, hoping it will blow over. You’re not certain the change in your company or your personal life is for the better. You may even experience stress and personal resistance. The point is you can rarely do anything about the change, so it will best serve you to accept it and move on, and if it’s a change in your company, perhaps even promote it. You might consider focusing on positive opportunities change can bring and look upon adapting to it as a challenge. Encourage others to pull together for a positive result. In doing so, you will have some control over it. Change will never end until you experience that final life-ending change, and even then, life will go on without us. This is a harsh reality we all must face.
Plan.
You can make a plan to implement change. Begin by setting a goal for yourself and outline the outcomes you expect. Ask yourself this question: “What will this change look like when it’s completed?” Then, map out a strategy to get you there. For instance, if you decide you want to become a future leader in the organization, ask yourself what you must do to reach that goal. Will you need training, mentoring or experience leading smaller groups on projects? Identify those things and set a timetable for yourself.
Even if things in your life seem to change constantly, making plans will give you a stronger sense of control. If you are planning to change jobs or careers, evaluate different alternatives. This will provide you with fallback options in case things change in a direction you may not have anticipated. If you wish to become an entrepreneur, recognize that hard work, hard choices, and stress may be involved.
View Change as an Elixir.
View new technology, systems, business practices, and new job roles and even changes in your person life as challenges instead of obstacles. I’ve already said that change may not be easy, so the attitude with which you approach it will help determine your likelihood of success. Saying, “I don’t know anything about this new sales territory. This is going to be hard,” is a lot different than saying, “I’m excited to learn about this new sales territory. It won’t be easy learning a new customer base, but I’m anxious to see what new opportunities I can find.” “I’m not sure what will happen with this merger, but I’m going to do my best.” “I never dreamed I’d be divorced but I’ll be okay.”
Be Flexible.
You may not want to change careers, but you will need to be flexible enough to work well either independently, in teams, or under direct supervision. Some people who had hoped to have a management position find that making a lateral move is just fine and sometimes more advantageous. Successful business professionals must be flexible enough to deal with many different environments and circumstances in today’s world.
Learn to love to learn.
Alan Toffler, the famous futurist stated, “The illiterate of the future will not be those who cannot read and write, but will be those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” How right he was! Have you found you have no sooner mastered the use of one type of technology and then you must learn another? Technology is always changing! And there’s ultra-sophisticated new technology being developed you can’t even imagine. Haven’t you become accustomed to one procedure, and you must suddenly adapt to a new one? New policies are being established every day. And let’s not forget the new government regulations that often make our jobs harder. Adapting to change is critical to sucess.
Achievement-oriented people know that to be able to excel in all they do, and live their lives to full potential, continuous learning must be a lifelong process. Learning new skills should be constant, no matter how much experience you may have and no matter how old you may be. Frank Turco, my Uncle was what I call an “Internet Whiz” at age 88. He didn’t even know how to turn on a computer until he was 80! How’s that for learning new skills? Cell-phones are always upgrading too! Focus on the sense of accomplishment you feel when you have learned any new skills, or gained knowledge on any topic.
Be patient when adapting to change.
Finally, be patient with yourself and others. Adapting to change does not occur overnight. Keep a positive attitude and focus on the benefits and new opportunities change can bring. If it’s a change in your personal life, view adapting to it as a challenge. Just be sure to expect a few bumps in the road along the way. When you experience stages of resistance and uncertainty but are then able to assimilate change and finally conquer it, you will experience an enormous sense of accomplishment, and your self-esteem will be increased.
I guess we should all be envious of the chameleon. To it, change comes naturally. It needs neither training nor job aids to help it shift from brown to green and back again. We humans, on the other hand, need a little more support and guidance to make it through those uncertain times in our lives-whether it’s a change in careers, a change in our personal lives, a change in how we are to perform our jobs, and working from home, a change in job positions, or a change in strategies. Whether you are responsible for changing only yourself or helping an entire organization through a major change, the good news is it will occur one day at a time.
And that’s all we have to do – manage and adapt to change one day at a time.
Need a program on adapting to change? Consider this highly popular presentation. Change, Challenges, Choices – Methods and Techniques to Adapt to, and Implement Change
About Christine Corelli
