Seeing Change for What it Really Is

Change is in the air.

It always is when something is not working, and a lot of things are broken, right? But can change come as a result of things also going well? Of course it can. My goal is to change one’s mindset on what change symbolizes, which to me means opportunity.

There are two types of change: what you influence, and what influences you. One has the elements of personal volition and our egos love being validated. It is critical that we are exploring initiating change from a desire to do optimize and improve, and we can accomplish this by properly identifying the causes which are most meaningful to us, examining our personal motivations and uncovering any unconscious bias.

The other, implies a sense of loss of the familiar and maybe even a victimization or disillusionment. Our egos never like being left in the dark, having decisions made on its behalf without its knowing. Oh, how control vexes us into traveling down non-productive paths.

Understanding your motivations for initiating or navigating change, of any kind, is important for cultivating maturity and perspective, especially when you feel it thrust upon you, threatening and discomforting your ego’s orientation in the world.

Change can cut with a double-edge sword; there tends to be an accompaniment of resistance to change, in equal force, as trying to create it. How can we deliver the best outcome for both sides?

Awareness is the first step.

Because so much about change is often incited by emotion, and therefore potentially irrational or misguided, conduct a due diligence, pausing and asking yourself:

1)     What do I personally stand to gain, or lose, from driving this change?

2)     Who within the organization or groups would be impacted?

3)     What are the specific impacts to those people?

4)     How does this change lower costs, maximize operations, improve satisfaction or increase profits?

5)     Does this change impact society, or positively or negatively impact the planet?

Coming into change with a clear head and examined heart lays the groundwork for productive and useful change while reducing its potential to alienate or harm. It is a constant tenor in one’s personal development. In life, it cannot be avoided. There are benefits to be gained from initiating change for yourself, as well as staying open to the possibility when it happens to you.

So what about when change happens unexpectedly?

Invest time in examining what is happening inside of you as it reacts to what is happening around you. It is both natural and okay to not feel comfortable when changes come your way. Many of us enjoy predictability and stability. It’s a natural human need.

Once, I managed an incredible team at Microsoft, receiving perfect rankings on performance reviews, boasted world-class employee satisfaction, multiple promotions and the unrelenting support from my manager.

Around my birthday, our General Manager announced that there would be an across the board elimination of our job function worldwide, followed by even broader lay-offs across our managed teams. None of these changes felt comfortable. God knows, I would never have wanted them. I would never have expected any of this given my history of high-performance. The ripple effect from this change was far-reaching, but it was hardly catastrophic.

It tousled my ego around for sure. But whose ego couldn’t benefit from the occasional tousle?

See change as a call to wake up to begin thinking differently. By sitting with the messiness of the moment, I was able to move forward in more powerful service to my team and personal advocate for myself. My team was uncertain what the future held, having to wait weeks in limbo before hearing their fate. It was like having thirty children to provide for and no means in which to do it.

So I took the reins and led change in the context of this new reality. First, was an open-door policy. I wanted to be a good listener and offer support. Second, illicit new thinking and find solutions, rather than fixate on the problems and uncertainty. I lost my job but for their sake and my sanity, I had to still lead like I had it.

Change also required tactical strategies, practical stuff such as reviewing the careers page, reviewing their resumes and brokering introductions across my network. Why not utilize change to help others? There was no time for a pity party. We had to be constructive in our response to change. What struck me was how the team stepped up to support me. Change created a true two-way street. It was a sucky situation, and yet everyone elevated in the process. The portion of my team impacted by the direct hit of the change landed, adapting with aplomb. Those left in role managed the collateral impact by forging bonds of long-term friendship for their former colleagues. Twelve years later, I am in regular contact with most of them.

It’s always been easy for me to take the helm and lead change. What I learned through this journey is how to exemplify leadership and create positive internal change in the midst of external forces. Change is no longer an unsettled rumbling in my stomach. It’s an opportunity and call to creative action. Change clarifies and fortifies convictions and uncovers biases.

Make change work for you.

Recently, I proactively made some pretty dramatic changes, notably resuming my educational goals to complete my PhD. This has upended one dimension of working life and placed my personal needs over my work. Everything is change, and I am comfortable with initiating it…for the right reasons and at the proper time. Creating space to sit and examine, honoring the time it takes to gain clarity, is a valuable exercise in the process. Once that happens, change becomes fluid and effortless.

Leaving a role you have enjoyed is never an easy extraction, but my personal goals (if not my skills) far exceeded anything that company could ever hope to offer me. This realignment creates room for others to step in, filling the void. If you are an effective manager, this makes transitions and change even more palatable, even if it temporarily saddens your team. Ideally you have prepared them for the changes and in that, empowered them to grow in clarity of purpose and change, too.

Change has been pimped as scary in the past. Now it’s time to take the power back, and put it to beneficial use.

Like the Force, may the Change be with you. 

#change #changeresilience #resilience #leadership