As an organisational change specialist, I always thought I was pretty good at change. I consider myself “changeable” – someone who is open to and embraces change. In the last year, I’ve had that basic assumption about my identity challenged.
Just over 12 months ago, I experienced every parent’s worst nightmare as a man in a white coat told me that they’d found “a mass” on my 6-year-old daughter’s brain.
The ensuing journey has been what you’d expect – a roller coaster of emotions. There have been some very dark times, lots of tears and times to really hunker down and dig deep. But there have also been lots of smiles, cuddles and laughter along the way.
It’s now 1 year from when we were finally able to return home as a family and I reflect on my experience and what it has taught me about change. I’m curious to hear what you’ve learnt from your personal experiences of change?
- Don’t underestimate the impact of even “benign” change
Even change that is benign can have a deep-seated impact on the individuals it touches. It’s important to fully understand the scope and impact of your change, warts and all. Whilst it may not all be roses, in order to deal with it, you must first understand it. - Bring everyone along on the journey
Even individuals who aren’t directly impacted need to be brought along on the journey. It was important to explain to my eldest daughter what was going on, and to involve her where possible so that we could keep moving forward together as a strong family unit. - Beware the unintended consequences
No matter how detailed your initial scoping and understanding of the change, you won’t know everything. There will be some impacts you missed or didn’t fully appreciate at the outset, or some unintended consequences. Take a deep breath, and then deal with it. - Surround yourself with experts
Make sure the right education, training and support is in place for the phase of the journey you are in right now. At the outset, the medics led the charge. Over time, as our knowledge and experience has increased, the baton has passed to us, but with the medics in the background in case we fall. - Don’t forget to mourn the losses
Even when the benefits of the change are blindingly obvious, there will be some collateral damage along the way. It’s important to acknowledge what is being left behind and mourn it. Sometimes all that is needed to move forward is a listening ear and acknowledgement. - Nurture your support network
Don’t try and do it alone. It just can’t be done. People want to help and get involved, so let them! Think about what gifts the people around you have and leverage them as hard as you possibly can. Make it a habit to say yes. Make it a habit to ask. - Celebrate success along the way
Small steps are significant. Small wins need to be recognised for the stepping stones they are and celebrated. And in those darker times, when progress seems small, it’s important to keep looking back to remind yourself quite how far you’ve already come. - Behaviour change takes a loooong time.
It’s been a year and, whilst we’ve been made some incredible progress, our new habits are fragile. New habits take effort and intentionality to remain on track. To make change really stick, you need to maintain your focus in year 2, and probably year 3, to ensure the hard-won benefits are maintained.
Thanks very much for reading this. I’ve learnt so much in the last year and, after my unexpected and prolonged absence, I’m feeling energised and excited to get back to work and put my learnings into practise.
If you or your organisation is going through a period of change and would like a seasoned change expert in your corner, or simply need a sounding board or a chat, please DM me.
#bechangeable #livechangewithconfidence