New Year, New ChangeYour Clear Next Step
Getting Through New Changes
in the New Year
The new year is officially upon us, and as we return back to work there is a good chance something about your day or your work will change. Maybe you are surprised to find out that your work or your team will be changing in the near future. Or, alternatively, maybe you have known about a change, and now have tell your team, and help them through these next few stages.
Either way, change is hard. For many of us our first reaction to the thought of change is negative, making the act of changing even more difficult. So, we offer a few tips from both perspectives.
If you have been surprised by change...
- Be human. Just because you are being asked to change, doesn’t mean you will know exactly how. You are human, it’s okay if you don’t get it right the first time. It’s okay to ask for help, either from your peers or from your leader. The change process is really a transition, and sometimes it takes some figuring out. It won’t always be flawless, but if we are reasonable about our expectations and the steps we take along the way, we can get through it a little easier.
- Be real. One of the costliest assumptions we can make about change is that we will all move through it together. The truth is, we all handle change differently. Some of us love it and can’t get enough. Some of us absolutely hate it. Some of us are weary from recent changes, and some are ready to go barreling after something new. We process and adapt to changes at different speeds and in different ways. We will all move through the transition process in our own way, and some of us may find that the transition causes us to rethink our priorities or seek our success or stability elsewhere – and that’s okay too!
If you are helping others through change...
- Be Open. Throughout the process, your team will need notice of what’s coming next. They will need tools and information to help them tackle the change. Be open to them. Give them as much information as you possibly can. And remember, in general teams need to hear the same information 7 different times, in 7 different ways for it to really sink in. As a general rule of thumb, if your team is still asking questions, they still don’t have what they need.
- Be patient. As your team works through these changes in their own individual ways, remember: you have known about it and had time to start processing and transitioning. They have not. Give them time, and be patient. In addition to communication and information, they will also need someone to listen to their concerns and validate their feelings. This could last through the whole transition, but that’s okay. For the team to be successful, they will need a patient leader.
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