Navigating Change - a MUST have skill

Change. What comes to your mind when I say that word? Is it excitement or fear? Is it curiosity or judgement?

The past few years, it seems like change is overwhelming us. So much has changed. The pace of change just seems to keep accelerating. The amount of data in the world doubles every 9 months. How can we possibly keep up with that! Change is everywhere.

Navigating change

The increasing pace of change has led to some interesting research. From this research, there are some key steps we can take to better navigate change:

• Become more change embracing. We do not have to accept every change, but our attitude toward change can help us. Do we look at change as an opportunity or a problem or challenge. Our mindset has a huge impact on how we experience change.
• Change can evoke a strong emotional response. Emotions are simply neurotransmitters our brain generates to send us information about what we are experiencing. While we cannot control the emotions that we experience, we can build a skill set to manage and navigate those emotions for more optimal outcomes. That skill set is emotional intelligence, or EQ. Here is a short video that explores this.
• We can create a decision process for navigating change. Think of this as a set of filters we use to either screen change "in" or "out". Those changes that are screened in, we can explore further to see if we want to adopt them, which may include modifying or revising the change to best suit our needs.
• Create a process to integrate the changes that you believe are beneficial. I use a simple process that has proven very successful...assess, equip, align. Assess what the change is and what value it brings. Equip by gathering the needed resources, learning, and tools for integrating the change. Align the change effort to meet personal and professional goals.

Leading through change

One key concept that I use in my coaching, training, and facilitation is "leading through change". If you think of any change effort as a leadership effort, then it becomes easier to make the desired changes. Whether you are leading yourself or others, leading is the key to successful change. So, how does that work?

A good friend of mine, Alison Lalieu, in partnership with Six Seconds, has created an amazing assessment that walks people through how to enhance their ability to lead through change. The assessment report starts with an explanation of what leadership looks like in today's world, when change is a part of everyday life. Then goes into an AGILE leadership framework.

Then the SEI-LTC (Six Seconds) measure key success factors:

 This is a unique assessment in how it measures "Change readiness". This is a critical success factor for leaders...and we are all leaders even if we are only leading ourselves.

The "leading through change" approach gives us a pathway to success. There is no growth without change. So, individuals and organizations who want to grow need to be able to embrace change and use it as the opportunity that it is. That means being wise with which changes bring value and are worth the effort.

Consider the advantages of having this deep insight for yourself or for other people. Maybe you are a leader of a team. Maybe you are a hiring manager. Maybe you are a stay at home parent managing your household and leading your family. Maybe you are between opportunities and trying to find that right fit opportunity. This information gives you the insight to make the best possible choice.

Change mindset

Earlier, we looked at how we see change. Is it a problem or an opportunity? If it is a problem, then you will always be striving to overcome and may experience loss of energy, focus, and effectiveness. If you see change as an opportunity, then the change may act to energize you and help you move forward. How does that happen? By creating a change embracing mindset. No, change may not be easy, but it can be highly beneficial.

Creating a change embracing mindset relies on your emotional intelligence (EQ). When it comes down to it, the primary resistance to change resides in emotional detractors. Fear, anxiety, uncertainty, perceived loss, stress. All of these are emotional responses to change. Navigating your emotions will help you navigate change. Navigating emotions is a key competency of emotional intelligence.

For more on how this works, here is a free eBook to help.

************

For more, check out our other resources:

EQFIT® YouTube Channel

EQFIT® Blog

EQFIT® Podcast

 Copyright © 2023 EQFIT® - Author: Steven Goodner. All rights reserved. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected].