“A lot has changed over the past year.” I have heard this phrase countless times over the past few months, many times coming out of my own mouth.
When we step back and examine this idea, though, we realize that it is not really about change because that is the natural state of the world – everything changes all of the time.
It is the rate of change and the direction of that change that affects our fortunes.
We have experienced a shock to our economy that has swiftly changed what normal looks like. What was normal last year is not the norm this year; normal next year will only slightly resemble what is normal today.
Being successful, prosperous and fulfilled is about dealing with change, figuring out what the “new” normal is and anticipating what normal will look like down the road.
We can cope with change – constantly reorganizing, restructuring, revamping and re-launching to adapt to what is happening around us. If we only deal with the symptoms on the surface of change then we will meet with only short-lived and superficial success.
Going beyond coping we come to acceptance. This is where we accept that things will change and not always in the ways we want. Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledging the facts of a situation and then deciding what you are going to do about it.
When we accept the situation we move past laying blame or constantly reliving the past. Acceptance frees us to examine the facts of the situation and then determine what to do next, without guilt or hard feelings.
Being prepared to deal with change means we need to anchor ourselves to a strong core identity. This is our vision, mission & values, our marketplace strategy and our workplace strategy. These elements also change but a slower pace than the events around us, in effect guiding us so that we don’t find ourselves constantly reacting and rebounding, especially at the speed information travels at today.
Whether the change is profound or mild, evolutionary or revolutionary having a solid core identity allows us to focus back on the basics, examining our strengths assessing opportunities in the marketplace and taking planned and purposeful action to move forward.
Action Point
When faced with change marshal the various elements of your organization to address the change.
1. Connect to your core:
- Review your values and the purpose of what you are doing,
- If these change every time there is a challenge then you may not be working with true values and a clear purpose but more with operating strategies or tactics,
- Your core should be made up of principles that you believe in regardless of whether the marketplace rewards you or penalizes you for holding them,
- Use them as a standard to measure your options against.
2. Analyze your situation:
- Take stock of the good and the bad,
- Stick to the facts,
- What did you learn?
- What were the constraints?
- Use tools to help you – SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, Ansoff Matrix, Boston Matrix, Flow Charts, etc. There are many to choose from.
- Get a clear picture of your current state and how it got to be that way.
3. Decide what to do now:
- The questions you ask of the data should not revolve around “What if?” they should revolve around “What now?”
- What are the next steps you will take to move from your current state to your desired state?
- Build a plan.
4. Refocus your team:
- Involve your team when possible in creating the plan and communicate the plan to everyone in the organization.
5. Re-engage your key players:
- Show them how they fit into the new plan,
- Be clear about your expectations of them,
- Ask them to tell you how they will accomplish what is needed.
6. Take Action
- Implement for success – that means support people, give them the resources to do their job, the responsibility to do what is needed and hold them accountable for their results.
Best Regards,
David Dial HCS
