Surviving Change

Seeing Change as a Positive

Change

• Every transition begins with an ending. We have to let go of the old things before we can pick up the new--not just outwardly, but inwardly.

• There is always an ending, followed by a period of confusion and distress, leading to a new beginning.

Change

• Normal responses to change within a group– Discomfort, confusion and pain– Increased conflict within the system– Processes & systems become dysfunctional– Expectations are often violated– Trust declines– Individual responses vary from withdrawal to

emotional outbursts– Energy reserves are depleted

Change

• Change brings with it a sense of loss of– Loss of the familiar– Loss of sense of security– Loss of control– Loss of optimism

Change

• Stages of Change (SARAH Model)– Shock– Anger– Rejection– Acceptance– Hope

Change is good…transition is hard!

Accepting a New Reality

Reframing Your Work

Capitalizing on New Opportunities

Keys to Seeing Change Positively

1.

2.

3.

Learn from past experiences

Analyze yourself

Gain Perspective

Accepting a New Reality

Gain Perspective

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end - which you can never afford to lose - with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be.”

-Admiral Jim Stockdale*

*Good to Great by Jim Collins

• Make the most out of change– Admit reality that change is part of life– Realize change happens whether you resist or

embrace it• Let go, stop fighting, and accept that situation as it is• You can grow bitter or you can grow better

– Talk with emotions in check• Indicator that you are gaining a healthy perspective

Gain Perspective

• Express your feelings– Talk to someone, but not just anyone, who will:

• Listen empathetically• Stay uninvolved• Keep confidentiality if needed

– Journal• If you are not comfortable confiding in someone

– Expressing your feelings helps you come to terms with:• The reality of change• The depth and range of your emotional responses• Allows you to voice your fears in a safe context, so you can

explore, assess, and soothe them.

Gain Perspective

• Use ceremony– Create one yourself

• Make a photo album• Invite others to join• Whatever ritual feels right to you can help you

transition through the change

– Organizations often use ceremonies• Farewell parties• Ribbon-cutting ceremonies

Gain Perspective

• Assess your situation and future prospects– Think about your situation in a constructive way

• Try to understand it better• Assess possible outcomes and consequences• Focus on what you can gain and how you can grow

from the change– Assessment helps you:

• Gain a sense of control and come to grips with what’s happening

• Make the most of new opportunities

Gain Perspective

• Questions to ask yourself:– Why am I resisting change?– What is it in particular that triggers this reaction?– Who, if anyone, am I reacting to?– How am I acting out my feelings?– What is the issue exactly?– What constructive actions can I take about it?– What feelings can I set aside?

Analyze Yourself

• Common emotional triggers that drive resistance to change– Feeling insecure– Feeling inadequate or under-skilled– Fearing failure– Feelings of mistrust– Worrying about personal problems– Feeling your position is threatened– Having doubts

Analyze Yourself

• As you learn your triggers you learn to manage your feelings constructively

• As you become self-aware you learn to master your emotional reactions and investigate their causes

Change yourself and your work will seem different.-Norman Vincent Peale

Analyze Yourself

• Context restores balance– Reminds you that you’ve survived change before

and will do so in the future

• You can draw on your past experiences to empower you to make transitions in the present

• What worked in the past? What didn’t?

Learn From Past Experiences

Accepting a New Reality

Reframing Your Work

Capitalizing on New Opportunities

1.

2.

3.

• To reframe you:– Identify current beliefs and values– Notice the underlying attitude– Adopt a new mindset– For example: How could you reframe your

attitude about a meeting that you believe is a waste of time?

All meaningful and lasting change starts first in your imagination and then works its way out. Imagination is more important than knowledge. -Albert Einstein

Reframing

Reframing

Practical Benefits

Emotional Benefits

Reframing

Accepting a New Reality

Reframing Your Work

Capitalizing on New Opportunities

1.

2.

3.

Capitalizing on Change

Set Your Own Course

Reinvent Yourself

Realign Career Goals

Create Career Plans

• Regain a sense of control– Be proactive in defining your role in the change

process– Contribute ideas, questions, and possibilities

• Gain the passion back– Explore activities that bring you stimulation,

inspiration, and pleasure– Use the new opportunities to steer your career

toward these activities– Example: If talking to students makes your day,

negotiate a way to have more interaction with them

Set Your Own Course

• Expand your ideas of who you are• Redefine what you are capable of• Use skills in new context• Disengage from old identity – Ask yourself:

– What should I disengage from?– What should I keep?– What possibilities inspire me?– What capabilities will help and how can I develop

them?– How do I integrate old and new?

Reinvent Yourself

Reinvent Yourself

• Have a vision• Clear goals, objectives, and strategies• Consider your

– Strengths– Values– Priorities

• Ask yourself– Do my personal needs and career goals align with the

new reality?– Has the change opened up new positions?

Realign Career Goals

• Keep it flexible• Review and redraft, as needed• Elements

– Ideal work description– Long and short-term goal statements– Personal needs and circumstances– Action plan

• Once you realign your career goals to your new reality you can better target opportunities

Create Career Plan

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. -John F. Kenney

If you have to swallow a frog, don’t stare at it too long.

-Mark Twain

• Who Moved My Cheese– Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard

• Good to Great (Stockdale Syndrome)– Jim Collins

Recommended Reading