Let’s be honest – we’re all tired.
The truth is that fatigue is a very common feeling for most of us at this time of year as we deal with a year’s worth of pressure in addition to the demands of always being available and having to respond instantly. This has blurred the lines between our work and home life, causing a tiresome imbalance.
We Do Change coach, trainer, and co-founder Rochelle Roos is dedicated to helping individuals and organisations embrace change positively and seamlessly to prevent fatigue from change.
Roos identifies the following concepts as most important when introducing any transitions in a person’s life:
Don’t be afraid of change
Change, whether it be big or small, is all around us and is one of those things that is inevitable. It’s part of who we are and is necessary since there is always room for progress.
However, some people welcome change and embrace uncertainty, but others fear it because they are ill-equipped to handle the sudden, dramatic changes that pose a challenge to the status quo.
Visualise change
Whether it’s at work or home, starting anything new may be difficult. Whether your family decides to adopt a new diet or your workplace decides to adopt a new management style, you need people by your side who can see through the uncomfortable process to help you move from idea to impact.
People want to see the change to know what impact it will have on them. Only then will the process create greater empathy, be more transparent, and foster trust among everyone.
Model change in-house
Prior to making any changes, it is essential to seek the help of those who can affect the change and reinforce this through their behaviour. As the motive for change is often more important than the change itself, it is critical to set a common objective for why you are starting this change journey. You can encourage change to occur naturally if you have established a common understanding of why change is needed.
Be prepared for anything
Like anything new, changes can initially elicit excitement, but the unfamiliar environment can induce chaos, and things can fall apart quickly. Virginia Satir, a family therapist, refers to this as the “Change Curve,” in which people frequently revert to their old patterns when their normal behaviours fail to improve performance. By implementing evolutionary, progressive change that lessens the dip into chaos, this can be minimised.
Don’t change everything at once
There is a strong narrative that changes are introduced several times a year before they reap any reward or benefit from the previous change. Gradually introduce your idea and work on implementation one step at a time.
Change up your belief structure
To change behaviour, it’s vitally important to be aware of changing the environment first.
Creating conditions in which the behaviour that you consider desirable will be easier and more natural than it is now! This means that to change the “culture”, we need to create new belief systems, and that is accomplished through creating new experiences.
Welcome resistance
Resistance to change is not a bad thing. It should instead be seen as a feedback vehicle. To help gather information from the process. “I strongly believe people matter and relationships matter. People don’t resist change; they resist being changed and having the change being forced upon them. Let’s start involving people in the change effort,” said Roos.
Measure it
Be deliberate about what improvement you are trying to seek and how to measure it. Only then will you avoid unreflective knee-jerk responses. If the goal is to continually develop a fit-for-purpose capability through your change initiatives, you need to capture the correct data to learn if the process is working.
Embracing change positively and seamlessly to overcome change fatigue in the workplace begins with understanding these concepts and finding the right partner to help you implement it properly for lasting success.
