Adapting to the Changing Workplace
These days it feels like there's
so much unpredictability and changes at work – we long for a boring day over
the last few years what I've learned is that disruption in the workplace has
become more common as the world gets more populated global because of greater
complexity and uncertainty businesses are under severe pressure from customers,’
competitor’s, regulators, shareholders and the general the public in science
the term for this the phenomenon is called “entropy” which means that life
evolves from a state of simplicity to complexity the more people we have in the
world taking various actions – more complexity uncertainty and disorder we get.
To imagine a household with
parents of one child then imagine a household with parents or three kids you
get chaos, things don't get simpler to get more complex so what does it all
more learning to mean it to change in the workplace how do we succeed and grow
in this complex environment that we live in today.
Well here are six tips on how to
adapt to change in the workplace:
1.
Let go of how good it used to be yes, it used to
be better back then come with your customers, colleagues, and bosses in the
whole workplace used to be nicer kinder and sometimes even more fun. We lived
in simpler times for many of us it doesn't feel that way anymore subconsciously
sometimes we continue to hang on to that story in our head of how good it used
to be and that's what holds us back from learning to adapt for years I worked
hard for this one boss I had. He promised me the harder I would work for him
the greater the rewards he would bestow upon me a promotion, bonuses, new
opportunities, and new connections so I did. I work hard for this guy but admit
one of the biggest changes we had in my workplace he left poof along with my
hope for a better career he vanished retiring into the sunset. I felt robbed
and I couldn't let go of those promises made to me shocked and disappointed I
was in pity at the bad the hand that was still holding on to what was owed me
got me nowhere but grief but once I let it go by stopping myself from thinking
about it I began to feel lighter it's not easy but it's crucial it needs to be
done if we're going to adapt to this new world of uncertainty and change let go
let it all go let go of the old promises the way we used to work the people we
used to work within the kind of workplace we originally signed up for I know it
was all the rage back then let it go because that the workplace you know it
doesn't exist anymore and it's you know what's at doom a gloom either remember
some of the best opportunities in life are presented to us open up to change.
2.
Accept, have to believe that change is not
something that happens to us but change is something that's happening all over
hackle and does all the time whether we like it or not change is constantly
occurring whether we're aware of it or not and to think that we're in a static
mode one moment and then change happens another it's just that true from the
blades of grass growing slowly centimeter by centimeter outside to seeing our
kids grow and all of a sudden to noticing that wrinkle in our face in the
morning mirror one day we see change happening all around us but often failed
to market significance because we're so wrapped up in the day-to-day but
learning to accept that changes natural law of life we can begin to adapt more
quickly as it creeps into our workplace acceptance gives our mind certainty
that we often crave during times of turbulence except that a workplace will
have lots of change might get a new boss might have to move to a new location
or a department and why have to do more work or different types of work that
you may not be trained for just as the earth moves slowly forward day by day
accept a change in the workplace is inevitable. Is inevitable don't run away
from a natural occurrence of life accept it once you do nothing will hold you
back.
3.
Think in Yeses not in Nos, when a radical change
happens in the workplace is easier to think well I'm not going to do that you
know it's just crazy you can't expect me to do that when you just asked me to
do this for the last five years it can be really difficult to shift our
thinking at the drop of a hat you know we're not light switches you go from one
way of working with another at the flick of a switch it does take time which
helps is to have a mentality where we think more about the possibility than the
impossibility here some years ago I work with this one colleague who would
always say well I'm not sure that'll work because every meeting every
discussion every new the opportunity he would essentially say no it's not that
he was a pessimistic person who's just trying to be helpful with all the
knowledge he had had but he was stuck in the past by saying no to all the time
he guys know we're sitting still in times of change in turbulence it's just not
a good idea we lost so many opportunities for our business because we couldn't
get him to agree with us on projects the result was eventually everyone moved
on and went around him a lot he lost a lot of respect that he'd earned over the
years and eventually left the company in a bad situation whether he was right
or wrong is really not the point because don't lyrically impose but what is the
point what's important is that in times of the change we don't get stuck
standing still people want to grow and prove and move forward by saying yes and
having that mentality with helping everyone move forward remember no matter the
outcome it's a feeling of moving forward that often gives us the greatest hope
for the future and hope is a wonderful thing.
4.
Set new
goals and go after them when there's so much change in the workplace it feels
as though there's no direction we get lost because we throw away the old
playbook and you no don't replace it with anything. So, certain we lose purpose
with no clarity of focus making us feel as though anything we do is pointless
by sending a clear new goal for ourselves that we the control we can bring
about a wonderful new mind shift to help to direct our energies that it's often
wasted it's so much workplace change a few years ago - a massive change in my
work I felt overwhelmed and lost each day and walking to work I would think it
was my last because there was so much uncertainty about my job all the over the
thing here I was doing made me feel stuck because I felt helpless I wanted to
take back control of my work in my life so I decided I decided that I would try
and identify just one thing to achieve in my job in one year I care I didn't
matter I had a job in a month or not I want to get this one goal dot hook or
crook that one single goal helped me move forward through all the chaos and change
that happens my workplace. While other colleagues were so busy trying to figure
out who to line with or gossip about who knows what I was busy working on how I
could control my actions towards my goal of having something specific to work
towards can be a powerful way to re-energize a stagnant workplace remember a
clear purpose. Without a clear purpose, a mind will wander and often to a
useless place.
5.
Focus only on what you can control which is your
own actions 33 days that you know what you're going to feel utterly helpless
the boss is going to change her mind about a major project that you're working
on your company merges with another company the whole departments you know gets
downsized whatever the issue there's going to be constant challenges and stress
and anxiety often arise from these uncertain situation because we feel as
though we have no control we try to control all these things in our colleagues
or boss or customers and the outcome of an argument but the reality is that the
only thing we can control is in the changing workplace you know is our own
actions during my days of dealing with all this uncertainty at work I felt
stressed a moment I would leave the house to go to work there's a lot of talk
about our company in the media a lot of disruption by competitors by lawsuits and
the changing nature business today with each new event I felt less in control
because it felt like though whatever I did you know whatever I did it couldn't
meet the monumental task of helping my company's future I was concerned about
all these huge things but I neglected to follow up and to act or the small
things in front of me so I began to focus on the work I could control and
focusing on my own interactions my specific actions under my control liberated
me and got me moving forward I realized that you know what we can't control
anything really except our own actions allowing ourselves to be pulled into
work focusing on specific tax we've tasks we can do gives us great happiness
fulfillment and meaning effort has a possibility to breathe new life to a stagnant
situation.
6.
Let in some fresh air, there's a feeling of
isolation that often comes from trying to bring a meaningful full changing
workplace. People around us share less information but the boss may not communicate
as much as he used to. Colleagues and co-workers are keeping anyone keeping
their head down but you know not having someone to talk to openly can be
difficult because everyone's worried about what the change will mean that the
socialization you know can lead us to baseless paranoia. You anxious and you
get nerves about things that you really don't need to worry about one powerful
way to deal with all that is to get the an outside perspective from friends or
people outside our workplace calling people in our network meeting new for
family members or even going to a conference or seminar can bring great you
know freshness and a new perspective I should take my friend out to lunch every
other week or so and but often broke up my negative thinking during these times
of intense change it bring fresh air and that pleasant conversation about
non-work-related issues help me get her reality check sometimes the
conversation led me to realize that my workplace wasn't that bad after all
because change is happening everywhere other times I get new ideas on certain
issues speaking with others allows us to break the negative pattern in our head
coming from all the confusing messages in our workplace it boosts our spirit
our confidence and often our energy let me wrap up with one last thing if
there's one last thing to remember as we deal with then learn to adapt to
change in the workplace it's best as our body changes with time so can our mind
we have to be open to new think inland new ideas which allow us to grow
progress and find fulfilment our work remember you're capable of anything you
just don't know yet.
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