Adapting to Change at Work Presented by Estelle Tunley and Kendra Strickland 45 th AIM-IRS ABMTS – Danvers, MA

What Is Change? Something that presses us out of our comfort zone Change is for better or worse – depending on your view Change is like driving in a fog – but you can travel the road anyway Change is new, different, unfamiliar, uncharted waters

Why Change? Sometimes there’s no choice Businesses must change to keep pace/thrive Old ways are part of history that inform our future but can’t remain Life brings changes whether we want them or not So…..NOW WHAT?

AcknowledgeAcknowledge-What Is Over And What Is Not. Feelings of Loss are “Real” Face the feelings, deal with the emotions Identify what is not Changing What’s in it for me?

Gather Necessary Information Why will things be done differently? Understand why the change is happening. Make sure that you’re getting information from the appropriate sources. Have questions? Be sure to communicate with the right people to get the answers you need.

Gather Necessary Information Find out how your position will be impacted and what the new expectations are. Though you may not agree with the upcoming changes, knowing what to expect will help you. What else?

Keep Your Emotions In Check You may want everything to stay exactly the same…  Not gonna happen New policies and procedures WOW! Control negative emotions If you’re freaking out,________________________ When tempted to complain, pause and _________

Create a New Plan Plan how your new day-to-day work will look and feel. Do you need to travel to a new work location? Will you have new responsibilities? Consider recording your plan (and any notes you have) so that you can refer to it when you need to. Whatever the changes are, be sure that you have the tools needed to do your job well.

Create A New Plan Do you have the proper training to manage new responsibilities? Are you making use of technology tools Acquire new skills and knowledge that fit the new reality With change, there are usually opportunities. They may not be as obvious at first, so take a minute to think through some of the positive things that may come about because of the change.

Create a New Plan Perhaps you will learn a new skill or get a chance to demonstrate your level of expertise more fully Keep in mind that there is often an upside to things that initially seem negative. Collaborate with co-workers/others to capitalize on creativity possibilities Think things through fully to discover the positive impact that change may have for you.

Get on the Bandwagon Early!! Why not just wait to see what happens? Maybe things will change back Let me see how others deal with the change I’ll just get along until I know for sure What are my options?

Lessons On Change Without change, things stay the same and ultimately will stagnate and die. Most people are afraid of change because it forces them outside their comfort zone. (go there it’s not that uncomfortable)

Lessons On Change Since most will resist change, successful people will use this fact to their advantage. Change is learning. Learning is growing. Growing is living. So live. When you complain about change, the energy you’re wasting will turn you into a curmudgeon. (is that what you want to be?)

Lessons On Change Change is exciting and forces you to move. Change can be scary and uncomfortable only when you look at it that way. Fear of change is a feeling you can change. It’s okay to change your feelings. People resist change because it brings feelings of fear of the unknown.

Lessons On Change Without change there is no adventure in life. It takes much more energy and effort to resist change than it does to accept it. It’s much easier to embrace change than to fight it. Change is opportunity. Status quo is boring and gets you nowhere.

Lessons On Change The unknown will be uncomfortable unless you shift your position. Change is a harbinger of possibilities. Everything must change. When we change we adapt and move forward, when we don’t we move backward. The weather will change, so don’t worry about it and stop talking about it!

To C hange Or Not to Change …. It’s Up to y ou … C hange will Happen Will you Adapt or Stay Behind and Watch C hange Happen or……

Adapting to Change at Work Presented by Estelle Tunley and Kendra Strickland 45 th AIM-IRS ABMTS – Danvers, MA