“There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.”
– Ecclesiastes 3:1
“I feel like I am being left in limbo.” This is what a leader said to me as he discussed all the changes happening in his organization. Can you relate? Continual change is becoming the norm in our culture. Change is also part of the fabric of life as we go through natural seasons, such as with the weather, our children’s development, and routine patterns in our workplace. But currently the difference is that the changes are happening more rapidly and can be more complex. As I was reflecting on all of this, I realized that a stable part of change is that it includes transitions. A big question is, “How do I transition well to adjust to change?”
With change, we can easily go to two extremes of denial or to a quick strategy to implement a plan. We either want to ignore it or fix it quickly. Instead, we need to allow space for the “in-between”. Transitions involve losses and gains. What represents this well is the grieving process. We all want to get to the later stage of the grieving process, acceptance. But did you notice that I said, “later stage”? Grieving is a process of stages. So how do we transition well in this space of “in-between”?
The three phases of adaptive leadership can be a helpful tool. Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow and Marty Linsky wrote about this is their book, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership.
Observe: Awareness
Change can raise our anxiety, which can spin us into a fight, flight or freeze response. Instead of acting reactionary, we need to be responsive. To do this, we need space to observe. To do this well, we need to gain what Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky call a “balcony” perspective. This is where you take yourself out of the middle of the action so you can see the bigger picture and be curious from an objective position.
Recently, I attended a basketball game at a large arena. We were in what I call the “nose-bleed” section. Even though these aren’t the best seats, I found watching the game from this perspective fascinating. If I was floor level, I would feel more apart of the game and the excitement, but part of my view would be blocked by a having lateral perspective. With being higher up, I could see the whole floor at once with all the moving pieces of the players. But it was also interesting to see the movement and influence of all the other people involved, such as coaches, referees, cheerleaders, and fans. With being high up not only did I have a wider perspective, I also felt more objective with being removed from all of the intensity within the court area.
Now, with enjoying a sporting event this is not ideal because part of the fun is the intensity. 😊 But, can you see, how this type of balcony perspective could be helpful in leading in your organization? When are there times that you need to remove yourself from the intensity of agendas and emotions in order to see more broadly and be curious objectively? What helps you to step into a “balcony” perspective? How can you use people on your team to step into the “balcony” during meetings to give an objective perspective?
Interpret: Curiosity
So, we took time to observe, now we jump into action – right? During change, we can feel the pressure to make things happen. There are deadlines, people may be complaining about the change, and we want to get to results quickly to modify the tension. Yet, if we jump from observation to action, we will go in the wrong direction without correct interpretations.
A helpful practice in the observation phase is to create space for listening to others and to yourself. During change you will observe a variety of reactions from people. Some people will be emotionally demonstrative, and others may try to hide. Some people will be vocal, and others will be quiet. A key practice for interpretation is to be curious.
What might be the thoughts and beliefs underlying the emotions and behaviors of others? Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky state, “What people resist is not change per se, but loss… Adaptive leadership almost always puts you in the business of assessing, managing, distributing, and providing contexts for losses that move people through losses to a new place.” So, what do you think people feel like they are losing in the change? You may come up with multiple hypothesis’. This is good because it will help you to test your assumptions. What are their underlying values and loyalties? You want to discover their reality, because then you can address the deeper fears of loss with your intervention.
Intervene: Application
Intervention is when we move to action. You can’t read people’s minds so you don’t know exactly their thoughts and beliefs. This is why you come up with your best hypothesis. Maybe when you hear the word “hypothesis” it brings up mental pictures of your high school science project. If so, I’m glad you have this mental picture because your intervention is actually an experiment. You act on your best intervention but then must hold it lightly. Meaning if it doesn’t work, you take in what you observe, and course correct.
You accept what you can control and not control. What is your reality? What are your talents sets, your position in the company, your attitudes and behaviors. To connect fully to others, you will also need to connect with your whole self, mind emotions and will. You need to keep in awareness of yourself and know how to set boundaries so that you move through this from your best self.
You also may need others to help you process well through this. There is power in the shared perspectives of others who share in the success of the change with you. You also may need a trusted person such as a mentor or coach, to help you process your own boundaries and regulation as you move through change.
Summary
One dynamic of change is when two organizations merge. My colleague, Jamie Levy, has written a book, called, Merged. He states, “Merger success depends on the choices people make in response to changes in their culture…. It all comes down to relationships.” Any kind of change will depend upon how people perceive the change and respond. What practices of adaptive leadership will you apply to help lead yourself and others successfully through change?