In a World of Change, Don't Just Survive...Thrive!

I have a confession to make. I originally set out to write this blog about change management – you know, how we once viewed it as something tied to big, fundamentally disruptive events like mergers, shifts in leadership, implementing new systems or even major life changes. Not too long ago, change felt more predictable – like something we could see coming from a distance, giving us time to prepare, time to lean on and learn from models like the Bridges Transition Model (my personal favorite) to develop an efficient structure, guide our teams through the storm and catch our breath in those “in between” moments before the next wave hits.

But as I was preparing to write this article, I kept running into change, and it was not few and far between! I continued to see leaders who were worn out and unable to rest before the next change was upon them. Even beyond leadership, I  found fellow team members who were going through enormous change in their personal lives and woke up each morning not knowing how they were going to make it through the workday, but also knowing that NOT making it through was not an option. I turned on the news and kept seeing change, on every channel, and at any moment during the day! I looked at my family and kept seeing change happen, from a niece on the cusp of graduation and adulthood to a nephew refusing to embrace the change of potty training. Suffice it to say, I was seeing a lot of change for everyone across the board, but noted that the “rest” periods seem to have disappeared.

This prompted me to ask, what has happened to the gap? The LONG look down the road between major changes has turned into a small gap, like the one between the white lines painted on roads that signal it’s safe to change lanes. It feels as if there is no longer time to prepare for the next change, much less recover from the last one. And with a consistently high pace, every change now seems major!

Everyone seems to be living life as a survivor; hearts beating fast, breath coming quick and eyes constantly scanning the horizon for the next change coming. This is not sustainable, and when I ask people about how things are going or what they are doing to handle their personal change, they just respond with some variation of, “What can I do? I just keep going. What other choice is there?!”

Well friends, I am here to suggest there are other choices. We might not be able to adjust the amount or rate of change that is happening to us, but we can make choices about how we handle it.

I’d like to share some wisdom that I have been learning recently in hopes that it might offer you some hope, encouragement and direction.

• You are in charge of you! Much of the day feels like things are happening to us, like we are victims in the situation and just have to take it. This is not the case. You get to make the choice about your actions and attitudes. Your attitude always directs your actions. Many times, you can’t say “no” to the tasks in front of you but you can always choose how to approach those tasks.
• Sharpen your saw! Stephen Covey describes “Sharpening the Saw” as one of the habits of highly effective people. This is the habit of self-renewal and focuses on self-improvement in the areas of body, mind, spirit and relationships. The time you invest in these four areas can lead to exponential success in other areas of your life and cause you to be “at the ready” to support yourself and others through change. As an example of the importance of self-renewal, I recently had a discussion with someone who spent a Saturday afternoon with a good friend they had not seen in a while. They went to a car show, an activity they both enjoyed, and they said they did not realize how much they missed  spending time together! They described the time together as one of happiness and that sense of happiness stuck with them for the full next week. Afterward, they said, “I need to make more time for that. I did not realize how much it improved other areas of my life as well!”
• Choose to get involved. When things are hard or the norm in your world is upended, change your focus to someone else’s! Find a cause you believe in and spend some time supporting it. I don’t just mean making a financial donation but actually giving of your time and talents. If you’re not connected with an organization or charity, you can do something simple like reach out to a neighbor or someone who just looks like they could use a helping hand. Even taking five minutes to bring up a neighbor’s trash cans can make you feel good, release happiness-inducing endorphins and decrease stress. When we make the choice to participate, whether it be in helping others or diving into the current change, we feel like less of a victim and more like an advocate.
• Be clear about what you value and what is important to you. Change can be stressful when you focus on things you don’t believe in or value. Understanding the “why” and being able to connect it to your values and beliefs can turn you into a champion for the cause rather than a victim of the situation.
• Learn to balance your current “hard” with your future better. Being able to fight through the current situation while knowing “this too shall pass” and what is new will once again become old and routine is a skill and a gift! As a rule, change is never easy, the process is hard. But if you can remember past situations where you not only prevailed but outright succeeded, you can apply that insight to the current change and be a support to those who might be struggling.

In the end, I guess this article did end up being about change management, but maybe even more so about managing change. Remember, we might not be able to control our circumstances, but we always have a choice about how to navigate them!

Jeanne Heath is the director of cultural engagement and learning for Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union. Ms. Heath has spent the bulk of her career conducting training within the financial services industry with a strong focus on technical and change management training during mergers and acquisitions. Jeanne has developed and implemented a dynamic onboarding program which immediately immersed new employees into the company culture of “positively impacting people’s lives” through an atmosphere of high performance, high accountability and high care. She is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and has earned her Credit Union Development Education (CUDE) designation.