Don’t manage change; manage uncertainty
Change management has historically been about helping people, teams and organisations get through a change. The big assumption is that there’s an “other side”, when the job is done and the change is complete.
I hear a lot of people talking about getting through 2020, on the assumption that somehow in 2021 things will get back to “normal”. Maybe they will. I’m not counting on it.
Instead, we’re swimming in something of a change soup. It’s constant, all around us, and for most of us, it’s not something we’re choosing. In the past few years the buzzword was VUCA. In 2020 we were schooled in it.
Rather than change management, what we need is uncertainty management. How can we keep ourselves afloat in the uncertainty of change soup?
Here’s 3 keys:
Look after wellbeing
I know that’s not news, but so often we can have a knowing/doing gap when it comes to prioritising our own wellbeing, and that of our teams. Eating, sleeping, moving, staying connected – it all helps.
Stay the same
Coming back to your core values and purpose – or those of your team or organisation - is grounding. It’s a yardstick that can help you measure which decisions to make, which roads to take, and which to leave untravelled. What is important to you that has been de-prioritised lately, and how can you put it back on centre stage?
Change
Rather than sitting down now and trying to plan out what actions you’ll be taking in a year (here’s a few thoughts on why that’s particularly futile during high volatility, and some alternatives), consider how you can experiment with new ways of operating now that allow you to be more responsive to the changes going on around you. This is where more traditional change management comes in.
As a first step, rather than asking “how can I solve what I think might be the problem in 12 months’ time”, ask “how can we increase our agility and adaptability in ways which also support points 1 and 2, above?
These 3 are mutually reinforcing and will help you, your team and your organisation to tap into and refuel your energy reserves, creativity and resourcefulness, leaving you more ready to meet whatever “normal” greets us.
If you’d like me to work with you to support you or your team through this lens, get in touch.
Take care of yourself and others,
Madeleine
I work with clients from executive leadership teams to the front line, helping them to make clearer decisions about what they want, and adapt faster and more easily to change and transition. I use deep purpose as a key to unlock powerful thriving in work and life.
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