Increasing Your Resiliency
by Mary Jane
Mapes
A child's riddle reads:
On day one, a large lake contains only a single small lily pad. Each day the number
of lily pads doubles, until on the thirtieth day the lake is totally choked with
vegetation. On what day was the lake half full?
The answer: on the 29th day.
This riddle illustrates the exponential effect of change. Our capacity to
absorb change can drastically altered overnight.
Yesterday's solutions to managing change do not work in today's
environment. Why? Because today we are experiencing a greater number of changes, more
complex changes and a limited shelf life - the amount of time we have to implement the
change before another one occurs.
Everyone has a change absorption level. Like a sponge, when that level is
reached, no matter how "willing the beast," the change just cannot be absorbed.
As a result, we begin to notice certain unproductive behaviors, i.e. lower morale, reduced
trust, defensive behavior, increased conflict, angry outbursts, and decreased team
effectiveness.
To counteract the negative effects of rapid change, people must develop
more resiliency - the ability to bounce-back sooner. It isn't that they won't be effected
by the change. It becomes a matter of how long they will "malfunction" before
they return to a productive state.
To increase resiliency, thereby increasing your ability to absorb change (
critical to being effective in today's work environment), consider the following:
1) Develop a proactive positive attitude. Do not assume
that the world will remain the same. Accept that change is inevitable. Author Charles
Swindoll once wrote, " I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how
I react to it." Denial isn't the answer to handling disruptions that come with
change. By recognizing that disruption and resistance are natural, you will put yourself
in a position to proactively respond by moving into the problem solving mode faster,
excited by the possibilities that await you.
2) Learn to create options for dealing with change. The
ability to create options for dealing with change allows you to discover a variety of
functional behaviors for managing change effectively.
Once you become a person who looks for the opportunities in any situation,
the more willing you will be to move from the "if only" mode to the "what
if" mode. By generating a list of "what if" questions, you can reframe a
situation. When you reframe, you get creative in identifying possible solutions. The more
creative you become, the more energized you will feel. This sense of being in control and
able to make the necessary changes will give you a true sense of empowerment.
For example, lets say you have a group of employees (or family members)
who are resisting a change. Rather than getting angry, viewing them as
"troublemakers" and attempting to force them to accept the change, say to
yourself, "What if I were to see the resistance of these people as something
positive, how would I approach them?" Your answer might be that you would listen to
their concerns. And then, armed with that knowledge, you could either alter your plan of
implementation or you could use a different strategy for helping them see another
perspective.
Reframing helps you to challenge currently held ideas, habits, and
perceptions that keep you stuck in the past. Reframing allows you to rethink any
situation.
3) Learn to see and accept paradox. In danger, you find
opportunities. Humor is found in the most serious of situations. Order is embedded in
chaos. Urgency calls for patience. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
In death there is rebirth. You must give up control to get control.
Life is filled with paradox. Embrace it. Look for it. And grow as a
result.
4) Get and keep a clear vision. Clear vision serves as a
guiding light. Not only does it become your purpose, but it is the thing that allows you
to self-correct once you have been shaken by the disruption that comes with change.
5) Re-commit yourself to a life of service. Service to
others is nothing more than a yardstick for our own success and happiness. The more we are
willing to give, the more we will will ultimately receive. This is not only a universal
law, it is critical at times when you depend on getting the best that all members of the
organization have to offer.
To become a winner in today's "change game," go beyond the
current boundaries of your abilities to absorb change…increase your resiliency. Take
risks, embrace change and grow!
©Copyright 1999-2006 Mary Jane Mapes All rights reserved.
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