How to Navigate Change at Work
There’s a big change about to take place at Adam’s work.
He manages a full department, and the team leader who reports to him and is beloved by the whole group told Adam last week that he’s retiring.
This is going to be a big deal for everyone. And Adam is going to take this opportunity to restructure the team a bit. It’s a big change.
In our coaching call, Adam chuckles incredulously as he tells me how the team responded when he rearranged their workstations a few months ago. The strong reactions took him by surprise. If that small change rocked them, this is going to be catastrophic.
He's wondering: How can he guide his team through this change? How can he get them on board with it as soon as possible?
So many of the folks I coach are going through changes right now—one just gave her notice in order to start her own business, another is taking on a direct report for the first time, and another is starting a brand new job after being at his last organization for eight years.
Change is a major part of our lives. We need to get better at navigating it. And that starts with understanding it.
Change vs Transition
William Bridges offers a super simple and clarifying model of transitions that can help us understand and move through change effectively.
He distinguishes between a “change” and a “transition:”
A change is an external event—you give your notice, your team leader retires, your workstation moves.
A transition is your internal response to that event—the process of wrapping your head and heart around what this means for you.
A change sparks a transition. And transitions happen in three phases.
Phase 1: The Ending
Yes, change starts with an ending. Your team leader retires, and that is the end of a certain order of things at work. You give your notice, and your time at this organization that has kind of been your home for a while is over.
We have to acknowledge and mark this ending. That’s why we have goodbye parties—so we can recognize that this is an ending, and it has meaning.
Whether your loved or hated your team leader, or loved or hated your job, there is an end happening here. There is loss, and sometimes grief.
We need to acknowledge that as individuals and as teams, and managers like Adam need to make space for it.
Questions to ask yourself or your team during The Ending:
What is ending for you?
How can you acknowledge and let go of what is ending?
Phase 2: The Neutral Zone
This second phase has a neutral name, but the experience of being in it is anything but neutral. The ending has happened, but things aren’t settled into a new order yet. It’s messy and unclear. Who do I go to with this problem? you wonder. What is my relationship like with my new manager? What is the culture of lunch breaks in this new company?
The neutral zone is muddled and murky, and people tend to respond to it in two ways: freaking out or embracing it.
Uncertainty makes us anxious and fearful. If my workstation is over here now, does that mean I won’t get quality time in with my work bestie? Does that mean my manager will forget me (out of sight, out of mind) and I’ll miss out on great opportunities? Anxiety and fear are perfectly natural reactions to uncertainty.
On the flip side, some people love the neutral zone. They see it as a time of creativity and innovation. We’re not doing things the same way we’ve always done them, so let’s try out some new stuff. Maybe we’ll discover new ways of going about our work that are more effective and efficient!
Managers like Adam need to normalize the Neutral Zone as an expected part of any transition. There is no way to skip this phase—the only way is through it. So acknowledge to the team that change brings up anxiety and fears, and if you’re feeling that way, let’s talk about it. Encourage them to tune into the opportunities for creativity and innovation that’ll make us an even better team that produces even better results.
As an individual, the Neutral Zone is an important time for you to lean into any activities that help you feel grounded. When everything is thrown up in the air, what can you count on? I had a client once who told me amidst a major career and family transition: I wash my face each night. I don’t know what else is going to happen in a day, but I know that I wash my face every night. For you, maybe that’s dinner with family. Or writing three pages in your journal. Or watching the Celtics games. Whatever it is, enjoy it—take comfort in it. It’s essential right now.
Questions to ask yourself and your team during The Neutral Zone:
What do you know about how you tend to respond to ambiguity and uncertainty?
What activities bring you comfort and grounding?
Where is there opportunity for creativity and innovation right now?
What new mindsets might you need to adopt to support this transition?
Phase 3: The New Beginning
The New Beginning is when things settle into a new order. You start to accept and embrace your new work station. You get some traction in developing your relationship with your new manager. The team is (mostly) functioning in its new order.
As a manager, Adam can do two critical things in this New Beginning:
First, share a clear sense of purpose and clarity of roles with the team. As Dr. Brené Brown says: Clear is kind. When people are clear on the part they are meant to play, how they can contribute, and what we're trying to achieve together, they can move forward with renewed and focused energy.
Second, celebrate small wins with the team. Recognizing wins helps the team feel the progress that they’re making, and helps them gel into this new season. Small wins are fuel to build momentum and reinforce what we can do this, together.
Questions to ask yourself and your team during The New Beginning:
What did you learn as you navigated this transition?
Who are you/we now?
How will you celebrate progress?
CHANGE, CHANGE AGAIN
When we started our coaching call, Adam essentially wanted to know how to get his team straight from the Ending and into the New Beginning. But now he knows that the Neutral Zone is a rich and essential part of the change process—you can't skip it.
And when Adam's team is on the other side of this transition (maybe six months from now), they might experience relief—Finally, we can just get back to work! But let's be real: this cycle is never-ending. We are constantly moving through changes and transitions.
Being able to acknowledge the transition and name where you are within it is powerful: We're going through a transition right now, and we're in the Neutral Zone. Of course it feels messy and unclear! That's a natural part of change. But we will move through it to a new beginning.
Knowing what a transition brings up for you and how to take care of yourself and your team through it: that's priceless. It makes you nimble and resilient. It means you can trust yourself to navigate what's to come—even all those unforeseen curveballs that are inevitably on the way.
—> If you’re a new leader stepping up for the first time, check out our free mini-course on Own Your Leadership.
