| Change Agents |
The season of change is upon us.
A new job, a new home, a loss of a loved one, these are all different change agents planned or
unplanned that can impact your life. How you respond to change is a function of how you feel
about change. Understanding why you respond the way you do will help you be prepared
when the season of change is upon you.
When things happen unexpectedly do you:
These are all legitimate responses to change that are defined by your personality. Use your
available resources to learn more about your change management style and figure out what's
the best way for you to cope with change. Here are a few tips and suggestions that might
help you figure out how you can better manage change in your life.
1. Start with outside reading.
There's a great book that really helped me develop a new perspective on change.
It's called by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
It tells the story of four beings that live in a maze: Sniff and Scurry who are nonanalytical and
nonjudgmental mice, who just want their cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get
it. Hem and Haw are mouse-size humans who view the cheese as not just their sustenance, but
also their self-image. As you read the story, you may identify more with Sniff and Scurry or
with Hem and Haw and be able to apply the lessons to your career, health, relationships or
family situations. The point of the story is to show you how to be aware of changes in your
cheese and learn to adapt and find new ways to get more.
2. List the Pros & Cons.
How do you know what's to like or dislike if you haven't considered everything?
Listing out the positives and negatives of the new change element can help you get perspective
on your new circumstances. Take it one step further and try to write down how you feel
about each thing. Be honest with yourself. It's a test of how deep inside you can look to get to
the source of what's bothering you.
3. Identify the source of your feelings.
So now you know the pros, cons and how you feel about them. Pull your feelings apart and
try to figure out why you feel that way.
It's a tough exercise, but an absolutely valuable one. If you're feeling unsure about the change
(like a new job function) is it because you don't feel you have the necessary skills to get the job
done? If that's the case, you've identified an opportunity to seek training to help make you
better prepared for the new role.
4. Is there any part of the change that you can control?
We're usually resistant to change when it's out of our hands. Getting a grasp on what is in
your control can help make the change pill an easier one to swallow.
Look for your chance to affect what's happening around you. Is it possible to be a part of the
committee that has to implement the new change? Can you be the person that identifies where
the team goes next? Being a part of change makes it easier for you to own it and feel less
threatened by new circumstances.
5. Talk about it.
Talking with your peers or family members can help you wade through the waters of
change. But be careful...too much negative chatter will make it harder for you to accept it.
Seeking the opinion of others can help you sort out the way you feel about the change in your
surroundings. Use these opinions as references and resources to see things in a new light. A
trusted peer's positive take on things can help you be more accepting. A negative view point
can also be helpful if you've got blinders on. Just make sure you take everything with a grain
of salt and find your own position that you can live comfortably with.
6. Wait it out.
There's nothing wrong with giving the dust a chance to settle.
Responding too quickly or rashly can take away your chance to put a positive spin on a new
role or opportunity. Giving yourself room to analyze and accept the change and its impact on
your situation is recommended. Remember acting in haste often leads to repenting in leisure.
Things might not be as bad as you think they are once you get used to it.
Change is something that's pretty much guaranteed. There's not always much that you can
do to control it, but you can always look for ways to control your reaction to change.
A new job, a new home, a loss of a loved one, these are all different change agents planned or
unplanned that can impact your life. How you respond to change is a function of how you feel
about change. Understanding why you respond the way you do will help you be prepared
when the season of change is upon you.
When things happen unexpectedly do you:
- Freak out and say "What Now?"
- View it as a whole new experience and jump in feet first?
- Wait it out to see if it goes back to normal?
These are all legitimate responses to change that are defined by your personality. Use your
available resources to learn more about your change management style and figure out what's
the best way for you to cope with change. Here are a few tips and suggestions that might
help you figure out how you can better manage change in your life.
1. Start with outside reading.
There's a great book that really helped me develop a new perspective on change.
It's called by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
It tells the story of four beings that live in a maze: Sniff and Scurry who are nonanalytical and
nonjudgmental mice, who just want their cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get
it. Hem and Haw are mouse-size humans who view the cheese as not just their sustenance, but
also their self-image. As you read the story, you may identify more with Sniff and Scurry or
with Hem and Haw and be able to apply the lessons to your career, health, relationships or
family situations. The point of the story is to show you how to be aware of changes in your
cheese and learn to adapt and find new ways to get more.
2. List the Pros & Cons.
How do you know what's to like or dislike if you haven't considered everything?
Listing out the positives and negatives of the new change element can help you get perspective
on your new circumstances. Take it one step further and try to write down how you feel
about each thing. Be honest with yourself. It's a test of how deep inside you can look to get to
the source of what's bothering you.
3. Identify the source of your feelings.
So now you know the pros, cons and how you feel about them. Pull your feelings apart and
try to figure out why you feel that way.
It's a tough exercise, but an absolutely valuable one. If you're feeling unsure about the change
(like a new job function) is it because you don't feel you have the necessary skills to get the job
done? If that's the case, you've identified an opportunity to seek training to help make you
better prepared for the new role.
4. Is there any part of the change that you can control?
We're usually resistant to change when it's out of our hands. Getting a grasp on what is in
your control can help make the change pill an easier one to swallow.
Look for your chance to affect what's happening around you. Is it possible to be a part of the
committee that has to implement the new change? Can you be the person that identifies where
the team goes next? Being a part of change makes it easier for you to own it and feel less
threatened by new circumstances.
5. Talk about it.
Talking with your peers or family members can help you wade through the waters of
change. But be careful...too much negative chatter will make it harder for you to accept it.
Seeking the opinion of others can help you sort out the way you feel about the change in your
surroundings. Use these opinions as references and resources to see things in a new light. A
trusted peer's positive take on things can help you be more accepting. A negative view point
can also be helpful if you've got blinders on. Just make sure you take everything with a grain
of salt and find your own position that you can live comfortably with.
6. Wait it out.
There's nothing wrong with giving the dust a chance to settle.
Responding too quickly or rashly can take away your chance to put a positive spin on a new
role or opportunity. Giving yourself room to analyze and accept the change and its impact on
your situation is recommended. Remember acting in haste often leads to repenting in leisure.
Things might not be as bad as you think they are once you get used to it.
Change is something that's pretty much guaranteed. There's not always much that you can
do to control it, but you can always look for ways to control your reaction to change.
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Here, we'll look at a few strategies that are easy to implement in the areas of Health, School,
Work and Relationships.
Health
If you've never had even a simple cold, consider yourself blessed. Being injured or ill can
wreak havoc on your daily schedule and overall wellbeing. From visits to the doctor,
treatment sessions or just lost time from being sick in bed, it's hard to manage serious change
in your health or sometimes even cope with the little ones.
Combat illness and possible injury by employing preventive measures as much as possible.
Visit your doctor regularly for check ups. Take a look at your diet and make changes and the
choice to adopt healthier eating habits. Add vitamins, exercise, enough water and plenty of
rest to your daily regimen. These simple steps offer a world of help in preventing illness.
If you're unfortunate enough to be injured from an accident, make sure you seek medical, legal
and financial advise as soon as possible to minimize your losses due to the injury. You can get
advise and insight into building a healthier you from great resources like Yahoo's health
channel.
School
If you're a student, teacher or not so innocent bystander, school can take a toll. Assignments,
trips, tests, and let's not forget social pressures are major change agents in a student's life.
Minimize the impact by creating a system to stay on top of assignments, manage schedules and
adjust to the pressures.
Communicate with your student and peers to help understand what's going on and find new
ways to manage. There is safety in numbers. Whatever you do, don't ignore the situation. A
disorganized or distracted student will not learn as effectively as one who has the resources
they need to effectively manage their changing surroundings.
Utilize calendars to plan school work, athletic involvement and social engagements. Schedule
down time with the family so that your student is not overwhelmed by activities. Stay in
touch with teachers to keep sight of upcoming deadlines, tests and events. If you don't have
time for face to face meetings, ask teachers if you can communicate via email, even once a
month to stay on top of your student's progress.
Work
I don't know about you, but my world is full of deadlines at home and work. I can usually
control the ones at home (sometimes) but the work deadlines are usually not much in my
control.
Try to stay ahead by laying out projects and breaking them down into manageable tasks that
can be accomplished in shorter time frames. Use your calendar or planner to schedule
reminders and blocks of times to get these key tasks done. If you can, delegate those portions
of the assignment that can reasonably be accomplished by someone else on the team.
Be careful that you don't get so bogged down in the day to day that you lose sight of the
bigger picture. Change agents are always "at work". Pay attention to the clues that change is
coming. The rumor mill will be full of them, don't live by them all, by do your research to
separate fact from fiction. Prepare yourself for change by staying close to what's happening
with senior management or other departments and consider how those changes can affect
your world.
Remember to take stock of your accomplishments, assess your goals and check your career
plan routinely to prepare for a change in job titles or to take advantage of new opportunities.
Sign up for available training and ready relevant industry publications to stay current and
viable with your profession. Be ready to adapt if your job function or department undergoes
change. Learning to anticipate change and rolling with the punches is a valuable skill in your
arsenal.
Relationships
Let's face it--as we get older, everything changes. Our bodies, our outlook on life, our
relationships. Long time friendships, relationships with our spouses, children and other family
members will undergo change. It's a fact of life. Unfortunately, very little will stay the same.
But would you want it to? If your relationships don't change and progress as you do, then
they won't be enriching to your life.
As you grow closer to some people, you'll grow apart from others. Roles may reverse and you
might be the caregiver instead of the one being taken care of. You might become the one
everyone counts on in a crisis, instead of the friend in need. How far in advance you notice
these changing roles and accept or prepare for them will define if your relationships last the
test of time. Take stock of your relationships and look for those areas where you can see
approaching change.
Children or parents getting older, life events (marriage, divorce, childbirth) new jobs or
homes can impact your relationships and the role you currently play.
The best suggestion that I could give in this matter is to simply communicate. Be honest first
with yourself, and then with your friend or loved one about how you feel about the change.
Work out in advance how you expect each other to respond to change and what you're willing
or not willing to do.
Don't be afraid to chill out and take things down a notch if things seem too intense. Give
yourself a chance to adjust to your new roles. You don't want to be on an emotional roller
coaster--but sometimes change will enhance the relationship and make your bonds stronger.
The more you embrace and prepare for change and manage your reactions, the less change
will manage you. Plan for what you can and give yourself a chance to adapt and absorb the
impact for the change agents in your life.