How to manage change in uncertain times
How to manage change during uncertain times
Do you feel like each day you’ve got a mountain to climb? Does everything right now feel like an uphill struggle? Are you left feeling exhausted? Do you feel like you’re moving forwards only to get stuck again?
Or has someone in your team been describing themselves in these terms?
If so, you (or they) are not alone!
Change and stress
When we experience change, especially unexpected and large change (like having to self-isolate and change your whole routine!), it inevitably creates stress.
Although a certain amount of stress is positive, the levels of stress created during such unprecedented and prolonged situations of uncertainty is likely to have a negative impact on our physiology and mental fitness.
The stress hormones are problematic when they enter our system for prolonged periods. After all, they are designed to help protect us against momentary threats - like predators and other aggressors - rather than changes to our environment that will last three months or more, (as we are seeing from COVID-19).
The area of our brain that sends out the alarm bells, generating negative thoughts and feelings of fear, remain activated which can damage our mental fitness. In addition, the hormones deplete our immune system, which is the very thing we all need to combat COVID-19!
Inevitably, such change and mental and physical responses will also affect our performance.
Stress and performance
During times of high and prolonged stress, and in the absence of support in equal measures, our performance will be affected.
Although high performance is possible, it is likely to be inconsistent and random affecting long term sustainability and development.
In fact, during times of change, our performance closely maps the Key Stages of change.
Performance and change
When we experience change there are Key Stages, which we all experience. This is known as the Change Curve. The Change Curve can also be mapped closely with the Performance Curve.
Depending on other factors, for example our resilience, coping strategies and support systems, we will go through the Key Stages at differing times and may even go backwards rather than forwards at times. This is perfectly normal.
Creating an awareness of the Key Stages and where you are within them (or where your team members are) can be empowering and aid progression through the Key Stages.
Change and Performance can be closely mapped together
The key stages
To explain, let’s take a look at the Key Stages in action by reflecting on recent events…
Many of us were in denial that the extreme measures taken by other countries in response to COVID-19 were heading our way too (IMMOBILISATION);
How many people pretended it’s wasn’t happening and instead flocked to the seaside and other public attractions when we were first sent home from work and school (DENIAL);
Have you been experiencing feelings of grief, rage and/or fear? For example, in reaction to the injustice of the impact of COVID-19 on our lives, our businesses, our NHS (FRUSTRATION / POWERLESSNESS);
Are you noticing that the feelings have (or have started to) change to something more akin to exhaustion? Have you become resigned to the fact that this is how things are and we must stay at home, accept financial help and stay away from loved ones (ACCEPTANCE);
For some of us, we are now trying new approaches and new behaviours - setting up home gyms, devising schooling schedules, creating ‘alone time’ spaces and seeking other wonderful ways to create a new ‘normal’ (TESTING OUT);
Some of you might have even established new behaviours and integrated your life into ‘the new world’ (COMPLETION & INTEGRATION).
What next?
Can you identify where you are on this list? Have you got to Stage 4 (Acceptance) but feel yourself moving back to Stage 3 (Frustration/Powerlessness)?
How about the members of your team? Remember, working remotely may mean you don’t pick up on signals from your team members in the same way you usually do; if you are already at the Key Stage of Completion and Integration, doesn’t mean that the rest of your team are there with you.
Mobilising yourself (or your team) through the Key Stages as quickly as possible is important for not only our sanity, our physical health but also our performance.
So what can we do?
Five top tips
There are a number of ways to counter the mental and physical effects of stress, including meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises. There are lots of great articles to help, here is just one by Action for Happiness.
Instead, I’ve collated five tips to how help yourself and those around you to progress through the Key Stages:
Identify what skills and behaviours would help you or your team right now? Do I.T. skills need upgrading? Do you want more frequent supervision and catch-up meetings? Would a workshop about working from home or managing remotely help?
Practice explicitness. This is a valuable but under-emphasised skill. Take some time to think and get really clear on what is needed from yourself and those around you. Focus on behaviours you do (and don’t) want to see, which will aid performance and progression through the Key Stages. Use clear, unambiguous and specific language.
Maintain a positive attitude. Remember everyone is going through the Key Stages in different ways and at differing times and that’s OK. Treat everyone (including yourself!) with respect and hold them in Positive Regard.
Search for the benefits of the situation. Maintaining our perspective and developing our character strengths is a way to give ourselves super powers!
Lastly, but most powerfully, understand your underlying beliefs and attitude towards challenge and support. Do you give yourself and those around you too much challenge? If so, you are likely to be creating more stress! Or, you might be someone who is overly supportive, this could be hindering progression through the change curve. Instead, we want to see an underlying belief where high challenge and high support are used in powerful and equal combination.
Good luck with your journey through this period of change.
If you’d like to discuss anything raised in this article then please do reach out to me Vikki@Skylark.life
The StressLess Coach
After many years as a practicing employment lawyer and a founding partner of a successful law firm, Vikki suffered from burnout; recognised by the World Health Organisation in 2019 as being caused by chronic workplace stress that is not successfully managed.
Vikki was inspired to help others to be high performers without risking burnout so retrained as an ILM certified coach, ABNLP certified NLP practitioner, licenced practitioner of Liberating Leadership® and Pioneering Professional® and is the business owner of Skylark.
Vikki now works with professionals, through Skylark’s StressLess Clinic. From speaking or facilitating events or on a one-to-one or group basis, Vikki works with individuals and professional firms to help them successfully manage workplace stress, create sustainably high performing environments and excel through key recruitment choices.
Vikki has a wholistic approach to her work, always starting with the individual before equipping them with a tool-kit for success, including a mindset, key skills and, for leaders, a process.