Understanding Change - Part 7

Anything else?

Initial Response - YOU DEAL WITH CHANGE BETTER THE MORE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE OVER TIME.

 

Final thoughts...

Conclusions

Change is welcomed as a challenge and exciting when that person in is control.  It is scary and uncomfortable when it is happening to them.

Be clear about what you want to achieve with your change and your goals and take control of delivering them.

Have a good support network - find the people you need to help you.

Embrace change by knowing it is going to happen.

Having time to reflect on it and make decisions based on the choices available.

Know and understand that a professional career will end at some point and there are other choices available.

Change is neither Good or Bad, it just IS.  How we decide to react to change and the choices we make around it are the difference that makes the difference.  We have responsibility for our actions and the choices in our thinking. 

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.  Don't resist them, that only creates sorrow.  Let reality be reality.  Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."

Laozi 

Understanding Change - Part 6

What would be useful to know of / have when dealing with change?

Main thought - CRYSTAL BALL

This question gave me some great insight into why the people I spoke to had dealt so well with transition and change.  What they wanted to know was what the outcome of change would be and then decide how they would control their destiny and choices.

One point that came through was not to go blindly in to any change.  Also there was a lot of thinking about the people who made up their team that they had around them.

There were some neutral aspects around knowing and understanding the change in terms of timescale, financial implications, researching the pro's and con's in order to understand the medium and long term progress and have as much information in order to make a decision and be able to manage it.

Everyone has a team of people around them and having a mentor, someone who will share their experience with them and help guide them through is invaluable.  Knowing the people who can help and picking the right people to be involved. Know who is doing what and when and that they are confident and competent in their role.

As individuals it is about knowing where they are starting from and what the goal is at the end.  Believing in the change and having understanding in where you are going to get to.  People expected the unexpected and thought about the speed of change while they learnt, adapted and grew.  They all made a change by knowing why they wanted the change. It is understanding how they provoke thinking in others for them to take forward.  It's about having a good attitude to change.

Ask Yourself?

What do you already know that helps you deal with change?

Your can now take part in this research at Survey Monkey - Understanding Change Research

The Thrive through Transition business model was created as a result of the findings from this research.  Find out more at www.anniepage.co.uk or email annie@anniepage.co.uk

Special summer offer!!

Thrive through Transition Half Day Workshop
For dynamic companies that really want to understand change and transition and what it means for them.  To be the leaders within their industry of how to pioneer and build business for the future with integrity.  This is a practical hands on workshop.  Normally £795 + VAT but the 1st 5 companies to book through this offer - only £299 + VAT 

Understanding Change - Part 5

What is your current strategy for dealing with change?

Initial Response - FACE IT

Peoples strategies were about dealing with the change, There was a small amount of burying their head in the sand and a feeling that they could not effect change from the bottom.  This was quickly replaced with a strategy of  breaking down the change into small chucks and learning how to manage upwards.

On the whole the strategies started with the fact you had to face up the them, the fact that change happens and you need to respond to it and learn to roll with the punches.

As an individual having a goal meant that there was then room for planning and creating what the next steps needed to be and also helped people then initiate the change and become the change agent.  This allowed them to build their networks and learn new skills.

Some would want to keep ahead of change in order to have opportunity and challenge and would therefore actively seek out new goals to challenge themselves with.

Running through all the strategies there was also a little bit of 'just get on with it' and being clear that the change was not for change sake - but because it matters.

Within any change there is good and bad and those interviewed would look for the good and embrace it and would find out what the benefits would be and be able to show others in order to bring them on board with the changes and help change hearts and minds of those not yet convinced.

Ask Yourself?

What's your current strategy for dealing with change?

Your can now take part in this research at Survey Monkey - Understanding Change Research

The Thrive through Transition business model was created as a result of the findings from this research.  Find out more at www.anniepage.co.uk or email annie@anniepage.co.uk

Special summer offer!!

Thrive through Transition Half Day Workshop
For dynamic companies that really want to understand change and transition and what it means for them.  To be the leaders within their industry of how to pioneer and build business for the future with integrity.  This is a practical hands on workshop.  Normally £795 + VAT but the 1st 5 companies to book through this offer - only £299 + VAT 

Understanding Change Part 4

How does change challenge You?

Initial Response - Frustrating

When thinking about this question there was some flip flopping between the positive and negative and some interesting neutral statements and questions people asked themselves to find a balance.

Change can challenge when it seems scary, uncomfortable, it is the unknown. It can often be hard to concentrate on the day to day and keeps some people awake at night. It can leave people bitter and resistant when it has a negative outcome.

Despite all this the challenge of change is accepted. It allows people to shake off the shackles of convention and conventional wisdom, break assumptions, consider things not considered before. It helps people think differently and reflect on their choices so that they can decide on how and what they wanted to do next, in order to raise their game. When there is a positive outcome they start to look at how the skills they have gained can be used elsewhere.

When looking at change within self a great phrase used was 'open the gate - don't jump it'.  Make is easy on yourself.

There is also the challenge of reflection and addressing issues arising from the change and bringing people through it. Understanding that the change will happen and how you can adjust and accommodate it. If creating the change then believe it is for the right reason.

Ask Yourself?
How can you make the challenge of change easy on yourself?

Your can now take part in this research at Survey Monkey - Understanding Change Research

The Thrive through Transition business model was created as a result of the findings from this research.  Find out more at www.anniepage.co.uk or email annie@anniepage.co.uk

Special summer offer!!

Thrive through Transition Half Day Workshop
For dynamic companies that really want to understand change and transition and what it means for them.  To be the leaders within their industry of how to pioneer and build business for the future with integrity.  This is a practical hands on workshop.  Normally £795 + VAT but the 1st 5 companies to book through this offer - only £299 + VAT 

Understanding Change - Part 3

How do you feel about Change?

Initial Response - EXCITING

Let's start this looking at the negative feelings around change.  It creates a feeling of uncertainty and apprehension.  People are nervous and thought change could be scary and depending on the scale of the change - daunting.  Change is unpredictable and there was fear in how they would deal with it and it can make you feel uncomfortable.

The other side of the coin is that the feeling that change is refreshing, it helps get rid of old procedures, it's enjoyable and creative. If you welcome it and embrace it then it is an opportunity to do something different.

The opposite reactions were strongly linked to when change was created and caused by the individual (Started thinking) or if changed happened directly to them or around them (Stopped thinking).

More neutral feelings where linked to whether the change effected others and also about reflecting on change in order to adapt and make choices about how you wanted to feel about it.  Change was welcomed in itself but not always the results that occurred because of it.

Ask Yourself?

If you were to take control of your part in a change - how would this change your thinking?

Your can now take part in this research at Survey Monkey - Understanding Change Research

The Thrive through Transition business model was created as a result of the findings from this research.  Find out more at www.anniepage.co.uk or email annie@anniepage.co.uk

Special summer offer!!

Thrive through Transition Half Day Workshop
For dynamic companies that really want to understand change and transition and what it means for them.  To be the leaders within their industry of how to pioneer and build business for the future with integrity.  This is a practical hands on workshop.  Normally £795 + VAT but the 1st 5 companies to book through this offer - only £299 + VAT 

Understanding Change - Part 2

What does change mean to you?

Initial Response - CHALLENGE

Most of those interviewed when asked this question sat back, smiled and with their eyes wide open said with relish 'Challenge'.

There are more Started responses to the question of what change means for those interviewed than there were Stopped.

Change is about being excited by the new opportunities and innovations - being flexible to do things differently in order to have an impact.

It is about moving with the times and taking people with you and having that revelation that you don't need to stay stuck.

The other side of the coin is that it does take you out of your comfort zone, there is fear, apprehension and uncertainty and this brings us back to the challenge of change.

For the majority change meant challenge and when they think about challenge it become more about developing new skills, looking ahead, planning the long term and being able to communicate more effectively.

Ask Yourself?

The meaning of change is that it will come to you and evidently you will have to change - what are you going to do about it?

Your can now take part in this research at Survey Monkey - Understanding Change Research

The Thrive through Transition business model was created as a result of the findings from this research.  Find out more at www.anniepage.co.uk or email annie@anniepage.co.uk

Special summer offer!!

Thrive through Transition Half Day Workshop
For dynamic companies that really want to understand change and transition and what it means for them.  To be the leaders within their industry of how to pioneer and build business for the future with integrity.  This is a practical hands on workshop.  Normally £795 + VAT but the 1st 5 companies to book through this offer - only £299 + VAT 

Understanding Change - Part 1

Over the next few weeks I am going to be sharing some of the findings from my change mindset research undertaken over the winter.

I undertook the research as I wanted to understand how people dealt with the changes that happened as they transitioned from professional sport to the next stage in their life.  I interviewed a variety of people from both sport and business backgrounds to find out what their mindset and strategy was when dealing with change.  I wanted to know how this group of people thought about change and if there were common themes and strategies that others who were facing change could take on.

I asked everyone the same six questions, which will be available to you next week so that you can also take part in this research.

With many thanks to the following for their time and insight with this research, before, during and after...

Bryan Steel, Dan Davies, David Cook, David Moorcroft, Geoff Webb, George Arbuckle, John Quenby, Nadeem Shaikh, Neil Heaney, Dr Matt Long, Phil Briggs

As I collated the answers, I was able to see that although initially the answers could be thought to be positive or negative, the research led me to realise that it was more about getting thinking Started to achieving goals or taking control of a change as opposed to Stopping thinking and then getting stuck in the situation.  There were also questions and statements made which were Neutral and seemed to give space in order to change from Stopped thinking to Started thinking. 

For five of the questions there is a pie chart with the relationship between the different thinking patterns that show Started, Stopped or Neutral thinking. 

The Thrive through Transition business model was created as a result of the findings from this research.  Find out more at www.anniepage.co.uk or email annie@anniepage.co.uk

Special summer offer!!

Thrive through Transition Half Day Workshop

For dynamic companies that really want to understand change and transition and what it means for them.  To be the leaders within their industry of how to pioneer and build business for the future with integrity.  This is a practical hands on workshop.  Normally £795 + VAT but the 1st 5 companies to book through this offer - only £299 + VAT