Have you experienced any changes in your life recently? These days many people have been experiencing a significant change in their lives as a result of the economy; whether you’re worrying about a job, retirement accounts, or what the future holds.
Change, whether good or bad, usually brings some level of discomfort. There are always some unknowns with change. Most people are even afraid of changing their bank accounts. This article focuses on change and resilience and provides tips for coping productively with change.
Change is inevitable. In the last year, I have experienced more changes than ever. I quit a job after more than nine years, started a business, moved to a new house, and got married. Even getting used to my new last name was a big change (I can’t count how many times I had to stop saying my name when I was introduced). Although all of these changes were positive decisions in my life, there was still a sense of the unknown. All of these events brought challenges. I had the opportunity to choose a perspective on change; Is it overwhelming and stressful, or exciting and fun?
There is fear in change because it always involves something different replacing the familiar. As author Kevin Cashman puts it, “Change challenges our current reality by forcing a new reality to rush in.” We all face change in our lives, and leaders in organizations are no exception. In fact, a recent study by Lominger International revealed that the number one most important competency for today’s scarcest leaders is “Coping with Complex Challenges.” The leadership skills required for this competency include change management and adaptability.
Change is endless and constant. To thrive in life, we must be able to deal with change. As leaders in organizations, we must be able to master change and build resilience. Mastering change is the ability to learn, adapt and apply what has been learned to other circumstances. Cashman says, “It’s about developing an unshakable inner confidence that we can handle and learn from anything that comes our way.”
Here are ten strategies for mastering change and resilience:
- Step back, take a breath, and take some time to think realistically about the impact of the change and the strategy for moving forward. We often get caught up in change itself and can’t think clearly enough to develop a strategy.
- Adjust your mindset from seeing change as a problem to an opportunity.
- Think about the different perspectives you might have on the change. Which perspective do you choose to be in?
- Keep an eye on the long-term vision, not what the change causes in the short term. How will your perspective be different a year from now?
- Be open to learning. If we resist change, our energy is wrapped up in the effort to maintain the status quo. Think, “What can I learn from this?”
- Change often causes stress. Ask yourself, “What can I control in this situation? What can I do to influence this situation? What do I have to accept about the situation?”
- Focus on the present moment. Don’t think about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future.
- Trust yourself. Developing an inner balance is essential to being resilient in the midst of change. Trust that everything will work out.
- Improve your ability to respond to change. Stretch yourself in small ways every day. How will you respond to the terrible traffic? How will you react when trying something new?
- Be open to self-change. In each experience with change, be open to learning and changing yourself. Ask yourself, “How can I grow from this change?
A five-year study of 97 active and productive people over the age of 100 by Dr. Leonard Poon of the University of Georgia found that there are four common characteristics that influence resilience:
- Optimism: They had a positive view of the past and the future and were not dominated by worry or negativity.
- Engagement: They were actively involved in life, not passive observers.
- Mobility: They were physically active.
- Adaptability to loss: They had an extraordinary ability to stay balanced by adapting and accepting change and loss.
Change is here to stay. We can’t always control circumstances, but what we can control is our perspective on change. The next time you are faced with any kind of change, challenge yourself to think of different perspectives and then choose one that will help you manage change productively. As Henry David Thoreau said: “Things don’t change; we change.”
