I’ve recently had the opportunity to do several workshops for the change management community on “The Resilient Change Practitioner.” Here are 10 highlights:
- Change can be difficult when people see it as posing threats to things they value, such as relationships, status, safety, predictability, and the ability to achieve personal goals.
- Change can present positive challenges as well. No matter whether a challenge is positive or negative, it consumes some level of physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual energy.
- When people face multiple overlapping challenges, inside and outside the organization, they may not have enough energy to address everything at once, and they may show signs of overload and stress. These include absenteeism, poor communication, lack of teamwork, increased errors and accidents, and a range of other symptoms.
- Personal resilience enables people to maintain higher levels of performance and well-being during times of turbulence.
- Resilience is a process with multiple elements, not a single personality trait. We all have times when we are more resilient, and times when we are less so, depending on the nature of the challenge we are facing, our previous experiences, our energy levels, and a number of other things.
- Everyone has “resilience muscles” that we use when dealing with difficulties. These muscles can be developed through practice. Just like physical muscles, they are built through cycles of challenge and recovery. You can learn more about these resilience muscles here.
- Every change role can benefit from developing resilience. Although we tend to focus most attention on the participants in change, resilient sponsors and agents are important too!
- Resilience is fueled by physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy. I’ve written a whole series about how organizations can help people build and sustain high energy levels that starts here.