There are changing waters all around us. When these waters go from calm and peaceful to thrashing and dangerous in minutes, it can be scary to hold on. Perhaps we’re even scared of what unknown lies deep below the surface. In these moments when change threatens to overwhelm us, it might be easier to give up or turn the boat around, but there are ways for us to hold on and keep pushing through to the end. So, how do we not only stay afloat in the midst of change, but make change stick?
A lot can change in our day-to-day lives, in our relationships, and within our organizations, whether intentionally or unexpectedly. Sometimes we’re prepared for it and other times we’re not. Whatever change is coming and before we can learn to manage it, we have to recognize the waters we’re in. Once we’re familiar with the waters, we can take a closer look at where we stand within those waters.
Recognize where you are in the cycle.
It’s difficult to use our tools well if we don’t know when we’re supposed to use the hammer as opposed to the wrench. Luckily, when we build a change toolkit, we can easily recognize where we are in the change process, and use the right tools, at the right time.
Change consists of starting at one point with hopes of getting to another point. The change process is everything that happens in between. Here’s what the change cycle looks like:
Recognize who you are in the change process.
Now that we have our tools identified, it’s time to identify who uses which ones. If I’m more of a planner, I won’t need to use a hammer quite as often, if at all, and I may be better off using a notebook or a pencil. You may be the one planning and prioritizing work, someone measuring progress, or the person fixing any problems that arise. Wherever you find yourself, your role is important and helps change to move even smoother.
Letting go can be especially scary, especially if you’re unsure of what you may be falling back into. But one thing I’ve learned is that it can hurt more to hold onto a rope being pulled in the opposite direction. Understand that if we keep holding onto the past, nothing can fully move forward.
Here’s where the waters tend to get particularly turbulent. There will be moments that overwhelm us. There may be moments that worry us or cause us to panic. But, if we hold on to the nearest flotation device, we can stand firm in who we are, and use the tools we’ve been given to deal with the process accordingly. If we can get through the difficult waters, we can make it to the other side.
Change is a process that requires strength to keep going. To make change stick, we need tangible action and new behaviors that we’re willing to practice over and over again. Now is the time to create plans and processes of how to deal with the change we’re going through. In making these plans, we have to be specific about where we’re going and how we’re getting there, and then put plans into action.
It’s also important that as leaders, we display the same behaviors and follow the same action steps. Our teams look up to us and take things more seriously when we practice what we preach. Then together, as we keep keeping on, we can get to the desired end point and breathe a little.
It’s not easy to take that first step off land or swim through dark waters, but everything’s a little brighter when we finally get to the other side. When we treat change as a process instead of something we have to tackle all at once, it becomes more manageable and it’s more likely for that change to “stick” in the long run. Treating change as a process is one of the core tenets of our Changemakers Certification Program and if you’re interested in more information, we offer lots of tools about change on the Change & Transition page on our website!