Navigating Change in the Workplace, the Emotionally Intelligent Way

Creatively Written by Preethi Fernando | www.kelumteam.com \ www.preethifernando.com

Navigating Change in the Workplace, the Emotionally Intelligent Way

Emotionally intelligent people know that it is fantasy to think that tomorrow will come in a tidy, smooth, predictable manner. Rarely does a company, business, or leader ?become better by chance. Rather, they get better by change.

Navigating change can bring out the best or worst in a co-worker, supervisor, CEO, or the Board. Change does not define a person. It reveals a person. Change does not define a business, organization, city. It reveals a business, organization, city.

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Here are 7 things to keep in mind when it comes to handling change:

1 Change affects our emotions

2 We are naturally defaulted to the “comfort” zone.

3 Transformational leadership

4 Showing Caring During Times of Change

5 Toxicity escalates

6 Old habits die hard

7 Emotional Presence – “I am Here”

1 Change affects our emotions

The emotionally intelligent individual knows that change affects our emotions. When an organization gets a new supervisor who has a different temperament, voice tone, and attitude, and favorites, it affects the emotional well being of the people working with that new boss. When a company gets rid of the old software program that the staff has been using for thirty years and gets AI to do the bulk of the work ?it can create apprehension and anticipation. Change affects our emotions. It’s how we handle those emotions, that’s the difference maker.

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2 We are naturally defaulted to our “comfort” zone.

We are creatures of comfort. We take comfort in the familiarity and avoid the unfamiliar like the plague. Many people at the workplace don’t like to change, especially if it means giving up something comfortable. Emotionally intelligent people don’t like change either, yet, they are open to it. Rather than fighting it, they embrace it. They are flexible.

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3 Transformational Leadership

The emotionally intelligent individual understands the need for transformational leadership during times of change. When the time is right, the transformational leader rises to the occasion to inspire difficult people to come up a little higher and builds hope. A transformational leader is the first one to “step up” and “stand out” during change. Little by little, others in the organization shift their “antenna” of thinking towards the transformational leader. Typically, the transformational leader is an emotionally intelligent one. At such times the emotionally intelligent individual stimulates difficult people to get excited about their vision. This is how they become transformational agents during times of change.

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The emotionally intelligent individual realizes that control stifles difficult people, and inspiration energizes people. Especially during change, which can be scary sometimes, emotionally intelligent people inspire difficult people to see the larger picture.

This kind of response is powerful, especially during change, which takes a lot of creative energy to implement.

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4 Showing Caring During Times of Change

When a person feels genuinely cared for, there is no telling how far they will go to show their loyalty, trust, and service. Especially if it is an individual who has had trouble in this area in the past, and they feel the joy of true caring from someone, it can create a deep psychic groove that could make them feel like giving their best.

people have a yearning to feel cared for, during change. The emotionally intelligent individual relates to this yearning. Underneath that yearning is a deep fear of change. Showing they care in a sincere way is a great strategy to build the confidence amongst difficult people, build trust, correct any wrong doings of the past, and to create a deep bonding.

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5 Toxicity Escalates

During change, if there is toxicity already brewing in the workplace, it tends to escalate. Toxicity can be draining. Change by itself can be emotionally draining. Add a heavy dose of toxicity into the change mix, and it could leave the staff feeling demoralized. Emotionally intelligent people know how to minimize this feeling by keeping toxicity at bay. They don’t feed into the toxicity.

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6 Old habits die hard

Replacing an old habit with a new one, can be almost impossible sometimes. It is doable. Here is where the insight of the emotionally intelligent individual comes into play. The key to using slips constructively is to realize that a step backward is not the same as a total relapse. Using encouragement, understanding, and compassion, the emotionally intelligent individual is available to lift others during such relapses. Rather than making the team feel bad about themselves the emotionally intelligent individual inspires difficult employees to pick themselves up one more time.

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7 I am Here

The emotionally intelligent individual through words, example, and actions is emotionally present during change. They are engaged. They send the following important message during change: “We all have the courage to leave the familiar, to discover the unfamiliar. Let’s make that crossing together, to leave our comfort zones and to tread into uncomfortable territory.”

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