The 6 pillars to curb change fatigue
08 November 2020
08 November 2020
Money & Life contributors draw on their diverse range of experience to present you with insights and guidance that will help you manage your financial wellbeing, achieve your lifestyle goals and plan for your financial future.
Inspiring, leading and continuously adapting to change is no easy feat and can often lead to change fatigue. Ciara Lancaster shares her six pillars for turning change fatigue into change success.
Change fatigue no longer adequately describes the compounding levels of exhaustion, stress and rumination that accompanies business transformation and rapid workplace change.
When change fatigue is commonplace in your business or your team, then you need to shake yourself out of complacency and be on high alert. Change fatigue is a precursor to change overload and eventual burnout.
According to a Harvard Business Review article, which referenced a Harvard Medical School research study, ’96 per cent of all senior leaders have experienced some degree of burnout, and one-third described their condition as extreme (severe burnout)’.
Do you think your business is going to be held responsible for your change fatigue and burnout? Think again. The pace of change is only going to speed up and the onus is on you to make sure you are resilient, ready and resourceful.
By conquering the following six pillars, you will increase your prosilience (how you intentionally prepare to deal with challenges); resilience (how you bounce back from adversity); and adaptiveness (how you pivot for greater effectiveness) for future change success.
Your preferred human change state, of which there are eight, determines your individual experience of change. If you want to set yourself up for success, then you need to open eyes to the realisation of what is taking place, why it is taking place, and the negative impact for both organisations and human beings.
‘Realise your reality’ is about:
When you are overloaded, overwhelmed and over it, it is easy to default to the status quo, shirk additional responsibilities or give up on yourself. Too often, you tend to forget how change capable and resilient you really are! It’s time to be accountable for your role in the change fatigue equation.
‘Respond via your capability’ is about:
When your brain is burned out and fried, the last thing you want is a lecture about stress management. What you need to know is how the brain responds in a constant state of overwhelm and how you can brace for further impact. The effects of transitioning from a hyper-alert, survival brain to a calmer, self-regulated brain underpins every other self-leadership pillar.
The good news is that learning about the brain doesn’t have to be boring either. It can be relayed through metaphors, rather than through dense neuroscientific text books.
‘Reclaim your brain’ is about:
Examples of emotional trauma in the workplace include events where you may have felt unaware, unprepared or powerless to prevent the event. This includes organisational stressors, such as retrenchment, rapid business transformation and organisational change that impact your work identity, your job and how you are used to delivering your work. Trauma lives on inside our mind and body.
As distinguished scientist and author of The Polyvagal Theory, Dr. Stephen Porges, says: “Trauma compromises our ability to engage with others by replacing patterns of connection with patterns of protection.”
‘Regenerate your body’ is about:
In a nutshell, the brain is like the hard drive of a computer and the mind is like the software, in that it is able to be updated or recoded. Unfortunately, most of us are living with the equivalent of an inherited virus, thanks to our pre-programmed limiting beliefs. Often, this is where the seed of resistance resides and what is negatively impacting your change potential.
‘Recode your mind’ is about:
Change capability is more than self-belief and optimism, it’s about contribution, value exchange and being inspired by the process itself!
As the late Sir Ken Robinson said: “Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.”
‘Reimagine your creativity’ is about:
Inspiring, leading and continuously adapting to change is no easy feat. When coaching is absent from your workplace, you need to take back control. Personal transformation is the powerful precursor to business transformation.
Ciara Lancaster is a change fatigue and resilience specialist at Reimagine Change.
The 6 pillars to curb change fatigue08 November 2020 Inspiring, leading and continuously adapting to change is no easy feat and can often lead to change fatigue. Ciara Lancaster shares her six pillars for turning change fatigue into change success. Change fatigue no longer adequately describes the compounding levels of exhaustion, stress and rumination that accompanies business transformation and rapid workplace change. When change fatigue is commonplace in your business or your team, then you need to shake yourself out of complacency and be on high alert. Change fatigue is a precursor to change overload and eventual burnout. According to a Harvard Business Review article, which referenced a Harvard Medical School research study, ’96 per cent of all senior leaders have experienced some degree of burnout, and one-third described their condition as extreme (severe burnout)’. Do you think your business is going to be held responsible for your change fatigue and burnout? Think again. The pace of change is only going to speed up and the onus is on you to make sure you are resilient, ready and resourceful. By conquering the following six pillars, you will increase your prosilience (how you intentionally prepare to deal with challenges); resilience (how you bounce back from adversity); and adaptiveness (how you pivot for greater effectiveness) for future change success. Pillar 1: Realise your realityYour preferred human change state, of which there are eight, determines your individual experience of change. If you want to set yourself up for success, then you need to open eyes to the realisation of what is taking place, why it is taking place, and the negative impact for both organisations and human beings. ‘Realise your reality’ is about:
Pillar 2: Respond via your capabilityWhen you are overloaded, overwhelmed and over it, it is easy to default to the status quo, shirk additional responsibilities or give up on yourself. Too often, you tend to forget how change capable and resilient you really are! It’s time to be accountable for your role in the change fatigue equation. ‘Respond via your capability’ is about:
Pillar 3: Reclaim your brainWhen your brain is burned out and fried, the last thing you want is a lecture about stress management. What you need to know is how the brain responds in a constant state of overwhelm and how you can brace for further impact. The effects of transitioning from a hyper-alert, survival brain to a calmer, self-regulated brain underpins every other self-leadership pillar. The good news is that learning about the brain doesn’t have to be boring either. It can be relayed through metaphors, rather than through dense neuroscientific text books. ‘Reclaim your brain’ is about:
Pillar 4: Regenerate your bodyExamples of emotional trauma in the workplace include events where you may have felt unaware, unprepared or powerless to prevent the event. This includes organisational stressors, such as retrenchment, rapid business transformation and organisational change that impact your work identity, your job and how you are used to delivering your work. Trauma lives on inside our mind and body. As distinguished scientist and author of The Polyvagal Theory, Dr. Stephen Porges, says: “Trauma compromises our ability to engage with others by replacing patterns of connection with patterns of protection.” ‘Regenerate your body’ is about:
Pillar 5: Recode your mindIn a nutshell, the brain is like the hard drive of a computer and the mind is like the software, in that it is able to be updated or recoded. Unfortunately, most of us are living with the equivalent of an inherited virus, thanks to our pre-programmed limiting beliefs. Often, this is where the seed of resistance resides and what is negatively impacting your change potential. ‘Recode your mind’ is about:
Pillar 6: Reimagine your creativityChange capability is more than self-belief and optimism, it’s about contribution, value exchange and being inspired by the process itself! As the late Sir Ken Robinson said: “Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.” ‘Reimagine your creativity’ is about:
Inspiring, leading and continuously adapting to change is no easy feat. When coaching is absent from your workplace, you need to take back control. Personal transformation is the powerful precursor to business transformation. Ciara Lancaster is a change fatigue and resilience specialist at Reimagine Change. |
HelpSelect and copy the HTML code above, or
Thank you a copy has been sent to your email. Your e-book will begin automatically. Please click the link below to download manually.
Click here to download