Navigating change at work (a new mini series)

Change is everywhere and it's constant. Here's a roadmap for navigating it.

Welcome back to Lead with Intention! In a WONDERFUL turn of events (note the sarcasm incoming), my daughter’s school holidays have coincided with a blast of Arctic chill in the weather, after the glorious sunny highs of last week. Can you even live in England without being obsessed with the weather? Answers on a postcard (or in an email reply please…)

We are off to sunny freezing cold Cornwall today for a few days. The knitwear and big coats are packed, but I can’t wait. Rest, relaxation and a reset is essential if you want to work at your peak in terms of performance, and it’s a lesson I wish I’d learned sooner! The laptop is packed, but only to watch Netflix on, I promise!

Today I’m kicking off a new leadership mini-series on CHANGE.

For paid subscribers, this will also include a) a podcast episode (thanks to those who voted on this!) available through Substack soon and b) a downloadable resource that will really help if you’re navigating change whilst being asked to lead it too!

And don’t forget - as a paid subscriber, you also get access to my FULL library of leadership and career coaching advice on any topic you need - head to the main navigation bar on the Lead with Intention homepage and look for “Your Leadership Toolkit”

So. CHANGE.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin

This quote lived on my office wall for a LONG TIME when I was a Director of Communications in the National Health Service in England. It spoke to me on such a deep level, as I grappled with:

a) being asked to lead organisational change programmes as a part of the senior leadership team (everything from changes to our catering and car parking, to public consultations on our community hospitals and eventually a proposed merger with another hospital)

b) leading the communication of these changes to anyone who might be affected (a LOT of people and different audiences)

c) being potentially personally affected by some of these changes (like the merger process) in terms of my team and eventually, my own role.

d) the exhaustion and sheer resilience required to do items a-c effectively.

Can you relate?

This s**t is HARD.

In the first part of my new mini-series on Change, I want to offer some thinking and coaching advice for you if you’re facing change yourself, whilst ALSO being asked to help lead it. Today is a free post, but paid subscribers will be getting a lot of additional resources throughout this mini-series that will help you lead change, without losing who you are (and your sanity) in the process.

Next week, we’ll be unpacking some frameworks and toolkits around change, equipping you to lead it well, without burning out or burning bridges.

So as a former Director of Communications (that has gone through restructures and mergers in the NHS and the private sector, leading comms and being directly affected by change too), I want to offer some coaching advice and perspective if you're going through this in your own world right now.

It's not a panacea, but I hope it helps.

1: Separate what you can control from what you can't

The most used coaching tool in my toolkit at the moment?

Stephen Covey’s Circle of Concern and Control, a simple but powerful tool if you're feeling anxious about what's happening in your world. You can find my blank template of it here to fill in if you want to give it a go.

Simply put, it's a way of reconciling with the things in your life that you cannot control or directly change (e.g. the actions of other people, company profits, leadership changes, political decisions etc) It's a LOT.

But, rather than get dispirited or frustrated by this, take it as an opportunity for liberation and empowerment and instead, focus your energy and time on what you CAN control.

This includes your values, your behaviours and actions, and the way you choose to respond.

Focusing on your Circle of Control shifts your energy towards action, rather than frustration over things you can’t change.

2: Acknowledge your own emotions (with those you trust)

Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to suppress your own reactions. We're human beings, not robots. (Yet!)

It’s okay and completely normal to feel uncertainty about your role, frustration with leadership’s approach and anxiety about what comes next. Even if you’re part of that team yourself, or just below it.

But what matters is where and how you process these emotions.

• Find a trusted sounding board (mentor, coach, or peer outside your organisation)

• Keep a private journal to process your thoughts

• Don’t vent in employee spaces - separate professional and personal reactions (hard to do but essential)

3: Plan your next move (when you're ready)

When major organisational changes happen, it’s always a good time to reflect on your own career direction and career clarity, regardless of whether you are directly affected by the change or not.

Start with these questions (there are many more!) and some honest reflection:

• Am I happy with where I am, or is this a sign I should explore new opportunities?

• Have the values of the organisation changed? And do they still align with mine?

• Is there still scope for my ongoing professional and career development here?

• If I had to reposition myself tomorrow for the job market, how prepared would I be?

• What skills or connections should I be strengthening now? (Answer - you always need your network BEFORE you need it...)

• Practically speaking, what do I need? (Consider your own financial circumstances and planning, family circumstances etc) This is not advice about whether you should stay or leave, as everyone's situation is different, but consider your own roadmap and timing.

4: Support your team (but not at the expense of your own health and sanity)

Remember, there's a reason why airlines have parents put their life masks on before they attach them to their children.

Supporting your team going through this change is paramount. Of course it is.

BUT.

Consider, protect and reinforce your own boundaries where you need to.

Only you will know what this needs to look and feel like for you and your team, but remember, there's no value in your team having a leader that feels unable to lead or support them, as they are drowning under the weight of everyone else's emotions.

(Having gone through this personally and self-sacrificed during a huge organisational change), I can attest to the toll it takes, through burn out and more.

Remember, you’re not alone in this

Leading change while navigating it yourself is one of the hardest things you’ll do as a leader, but it’s going to happen. I empathise, but I promise you, you can do this.

Remember:

1. Focus on what you CAN control

2. Create space to process your own emotions privately with those you trust

3. Always keep your own career strategy in mind

4. Support your team, but not at the expense of your own health and sanity

If you're going through this process right now, I hope this advice helps.

And if you're experiencing challenges as a result and feel like you need some career clarity or leadership support through coaching, then you can book a free call with me here to explore your options. I have a listening ear and I've been where you are! Now, as a qualified leadership and careers coach, I'm here to transform your confidence, impact and help you gain clarity.

Next week, we’ll be unpacking some frameworks and toolkits around change, equipping you to lead it well, without burning out or burning bridges.