10 Big Mistakes in Managing Change (and a Few Tips on What To Do)

Change can be difficult. My training in clinical psychology and my experience in practice sure confirms this—as well as personal experience. Managing change as a leader comes with the territory, but it can be a region with pitfalls and landmines.

We all have undergone changes for the worse as well as the better. The hackneyed cliché of change being a constant is nevertheless true.  Things flare up and settle down, but today (and tomorrow) there will be even more that changes. In our work or careers our colleagues retire or move-on, those of us remaining feel the emotional loss of missing them, the intellectual loss of no longer having their institutional brainpower, and possibly the stress of having to fill in for their absence or find a replacement. All these things impact us. For some it could be resentment for the felt loss, while for others it could be "survivor guilt" for still having a job when a colleague has lost his or her position.

Times like these put many new demands on many of us, especially those in leadership positions. Leaders often have to make very difficult and what may be unpopular, hard-calls. When this is the case, it is easy for others to be critical. In my own experience, I have come to realize that it is not unusual to care deeply for others but not be in a position to give them everything they want.

Progress can masquerade as trouble. Problems are a natural side-effect of the process of change.

A few years ago I started pilot lessons. While flying is a very precise business — logged flight plans before taking off, checks and double checks of the aircraft, specific rules of the air, and an instrument panel to provide unambiguous information on a myriad of variables — I was surprised to learn that in spite of all that detailed exactness, for around 80% of the time in the air, you are not flying on course. Flying is really the art and science of constant recalibration and adjustment to ever-changing conditions — weather, pressure, up/down, left/right, headwinds/tailwinds, etc. Or, put another way, dealing with change in various seen and unseen ways. Sound familiar?

In various organizations that I have consulted with, I have learned that there seem to be trends in the phenomena that manifest during times of marked change. Below are some of them and lessons to be learned:

Fact: Trust levels ironically drop during periods of change — people grow more wary, more self-protective. They interpret unpopular events as solid evidence that the organization lacks commitment to staff. Phenomena: Right and wrong perceptions run the show. Lesson: This means you must provide generous proof to the contrary, leave no doubt about your dedication to your people. Commitment is usually a two way street. 

Fact: Change weakens people's emotional attachment to an organization. Phenomena: Some people quit and leave, others quit and stay. Lesson: Re-recruit everyone who is staying. Commitment isn't going to show its face until you reconnect the people to the organization. 

Fact: Devotion to the job drops when working relationships get disturbed. Phenomena: Personnel shakeups cause people to pull back psychologically. Lesson: Take the time/make the time, to build or rebuild relationships—between supervisors and supervisees and between your staff members.

What are some things we all can do? Price Pritchett and Ron Pound defined "10 Basic Mistakes" that we make when confronted with a changing work environment. The things we want to avoid include:

Basic Mistake #1: Expect Somebody to Reduce Your Stress                  

Basic Mistake #2: Decide Not to Change                                                    

Basic Mistake #3:  Act Like a Victim                                                            

Basic Mistake #4: Try to Play a New Game by the Old Rules                    

Basic Mistake #5: Try to Control the Uncontrollable                                

Basic Mistake #6: Be Afraid of the Future                                                  

Basic Mistake #7: Fail to Abandon the Expendable                                  

Basic Mistake #8: Pick the Wrong Battles                                                

Basic Mistake #9: Avoid New Assignments                                              

Basic Mistake #10: Psychologically Unplug from Your Job

I would agree that those are pretty good mistakes to avoid. But it may also be helpful to do some things, too.

Remember, initial confusion will clear, tumults simmer down, and things will recalibrate, but we then must work to be agile and adaptive. Most of us, in one fashion or another, are paid to handle problems. In a way, problem-solving is the essence of our work, not passing problems along, ignoring them, or giving up on them.

Don't act helpless, and instead test the limits of your personal effectiveness. You may be surprised at how much you can accomplish and how much more you can be successful at managing change and contributing to your company's ability to change and improve as well.

Finally, keep in mind that complaining does not equal contributing. Do flag a problem and do try to fix it yourself or do be willing to offer workable solutions. Consider inventing your future instead of trying to redesign the past. Workloads weigh less when you have a job you love.

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If you'd like to learn more or connect, please do at https://DrChrisStout.com. You can follow me on LinkedIn, or find my Tweets as well.

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