People who deal naturally well with change tend to have some important common skills and abilities. What can you learn form them when it comes to your own change challenge?
1. Those who naturally deal well with change tend to have a high ambiguity threshold
Our Tip: Change is inherently ambiguous, so deal creatively with change and have a high tolerance for uncertainty and ‘shades of grey’.
2. Those who deal with change often have a constructive internal dialogue
Our Tip: See yourself as pro-active, with the ability to control elements of the situation in which you find yourself. Some circumstances cannot be changed, but the way you respond to them is always a choice. Use your sphere of influence, however small, and in doing so you will expand it. Focus on solutions.
3. Those who deal well with change have a high reserve of emotional, physical and mental energy
Our Tip: Take care of yourself physically and mentally so that you too have reserves to draw from when things get tough.
Areas to improve your skills:
- Reflect on your own core values and your mission in life. A sense of purpose is essential to success and effectiveness, and you need a clear idea of what you are doing and why.
- Be persistent. Success is usually more to do with tenacity than genius. Persistence is only possible when you have clarified your values and successful people keep going, finding new and creative ways to achieve a positive outcome.
- Be flexible and creative. Persistence does not mean pushing through by force. If you are unable to achieve success one way, try another, and then another. Keep looking for more creative solutions and innovative responses to problems.
- Think outside the box. Read widely, and don’t confine yourself to your own area of ‘expertise.’ Try to see links between apparently separate and diverse elements in your life and experience.
- Accept uncertainty and be optimistic. Life is inherently uncertain, so don’t waste your energy trying to predict the future. Of all the possible outcomes, focus on the most positive one. Don’t waste your energy being negative.
- Keep fit and healthy. Eat well, get enough sleep, exercise regularly. Not taking care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually is foolish and short sighted.
- See the big picture. Change is inevitable, but if you take a bird’s-eye-view of the landscape, the change won’t be so disorientating and you will keep perspective at all times.
An individual coaching programme could be just what you need when responding to change and transition – explore the potential focus areas.