Recently, we did a short learning session with a cohort of leaders that we'd been coaching. The title was 'Leading Through Change.' In it, we talked about the difference between change (a measurable event) and transition (a less measurable process that unfolds as a result of change). These are topics I've been interested in for years now. There are hardly any places I've worked or any clients I've worked with within the last decade where I haven't spoken about them in one way or another.
The thing that's been interesting for me over the years is the reality that we live in a state of constant change. Things are pretty much always in flux these days. Heck, they always have been, but we haven't always been able to see it (or maybe experience it so directly). The last twenty-some years have brought about a rapid increase in the spread of information, which puts the changes in our lives front and center. The last decade especially. The previous five years, for sure. And it's not like that's going to slow down any time soon.
And then we have this past year, plus. Change upon change upon change. How much can any of us take? Especially if we take seriously that the impact of a change -- again, a measurable and discrete event -- precipitates a transition.
Think of a transition as a psychological and emotional process that unfolds over time after a change. Small change? No big deal. In and out of transition in a matter of minutes, hours, maybe days. Big change? We're talking weeks, months, maybe years. Think about the grief cycle as we know it. This is a transition.
What happens when we have change upon change -- transition upon transition? Especially when it's at the scale of this past year -- a scale that none of us could have imagined just a little while ago. I suspect we have no idea yet.
This past year has been intense. And it's not over. And when it's 'over', we're going to face even more changes. Even more transitions.
I recently put up a poll on LinkedIn because I wondered how folks were feeling about returning to the office, something that's quite the subject of conversation these days.
The poll asked:
When you think about getting to the 'other side' of the pandemic, are you...
...excited to dive back into the world -- Let's go to the office! Let's go to parties! Let's go to amusement parks!
...looking forward to it, but feeling cautious -- I hope my employer/company has a safe re-entry policy. I'll be socializing but following guidelines and taking it slow.
...feeling nervous about what it means -- What will it be like to be around so many people after more than a year apart? I'm not sure I'm ready to head to the office.
Now, I get that this poll is in no way scientific. It's results should be taken with a super grain of salt. But they were interesting nonetheless. Here they are:
Ready to dive in! -- 20%
Optimistic but cautious. -- 40%
Really quite nervous. -- 40%
If this tells me anything, it is to be careful. When we are starting to re-enter the workplace, we need to do so with intention and care. We must slow down enough to consider the psychological and emotional impact of coming back together. As much as it can feel like returning to work should be a simple thing, it's likely not going to be. How can we care for folks as we make this change? How can we attend to the inevitable transition?
When leading an organization, this can be tricky. We are looking at the needs of our customers and stakeholders. We are looking at costs. We see the need to 'move on' and get to the other side of this. The bigger the organization, I think, the trickier this gets. But this is critical. Especially now. This may be the most significant transition we've ever undergone together.
Look for some more thoughts on this in the coming months. After all, we're going to be in these transitions for some time. For now, we’ve put together a “Leading Through Change” worksheet you can download to help you navigate the transitions ahead.