By Sarah Steele
If I say the word CHANGE, how do you feel? Most people remain fearful, anxious and uncomfortable with change, despite it being a driving issue in our society. It appears that no matter how much experience we have it doesn’t get any easier.

Gaining a level of understanding that allows you to be productive, creative and flexible with your own life as well as helping others handle change is key to succeeding in today’s ever-changing world.

Follow these 10 steps to help you cope with the transitions in your life:

1. Recognize that things DO change
Nothing is forever. Neither the good, nor the bad. You will be much less frustrated if you accept the change and decide to manage it, rather than desperately try and cling onto the way things used to be.

2. Pinpoint the specific change you are going through
Because any change has a number of implications in different areas of our lives, we tend to generalize the change we are going through. Stay focused on one aspect of the change by identifying what you are most afraid of losing as a result of this change and then understanding why that loss is uncomfortable. For example, a new computer system may mean you will no longer feel competent. Feeling incompetent is a very different issue than fighting new technology, and can be easily addressed with training.

3. Accept the loss factor
Admit to yourself that regardless of whether or not you experience this particular change as good or bad, there will be a sense of loss. This is the “better the devil you know scenario” that leads us to put up with a situation we know isn’t good for us. Clearly define the change and recognize the areas of your life that will not change as a result.

4. Seek valid information
You will doubt the facts and struggle to believe anything you hear, see or feel about the change. Write down what information you need to know and who can provide you with that data. Ask straight questions, remain open to views that may be different to your own and listen to what you are being told.

5. Take action
Now that you have information, kick-start some forward momentum by taking both physical and mental action. Focus on taking the first baby step by setting priorities, committing to someone else what you will achieve and by when, and exercise (even if it’s only a 15 minute walk each day).

6. Recognize the Danger Zone
There comes a point where we choose to move on with the change and discover the opportunities it brings, or to give in to the fear of the unknown and remain fearful, anxious and in denial. Recognize that this normal, and don’t allow yourself to succumb. Increasing your small, regular action steps will help you keep that forward momentum going.

7. Make a decision
All the information you gathered may seem overwhelming. To avoid analysis paralysis set yourself a deadline for making a decision and do whatever it takes – even if you resort to flipping a coin! The secret to this is to break big decisions down into small, bite-sized chunks and work on one at a time. This way, decisions are easily reversible.

8. Identify the benefits
All change has some benefits. A divorce can give us the opportunity to have control of the remote, a new job could teach us new skills and starting your own business can provide you with the chance to follow your passion. Understand what the benefits of the change are and recognize them for the great gifts they bring you.

9. Change? What change?
I promise there will come a time when you stop looking at the change as something different. You will have integrated its challenges and victories into your life and will now feel more stable and open to what the future may hold. Remember everything you have learned for the next exciting, exhilarating and, oh ok, scary change.

10. Identify a change partner
Change is a constant in today’s society that you will go through many times in many different situations. Finding a change partner who is committed to encouraging you and supporting you will make the whole experience less scary and probably speedier. This may be a coach who can remain dispassionate, hold the mirror up to your fears and hold onto your highest goals. Or it might be a colleague at work who can help you see both sides of a situation.

Sarah Steele is founder of Atlantic Coaching, www.atlantic.coaching.com.
Article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Steele

Training Resource: Taking Charge of Change
A rookie skydiver serves as a metaphor in this action-packed video, which helps people of all ages adapt to big changes – and thrive.

Time: 5 minutes or 15 minutes (15 minutes if participant introductions are done in conjunction with the activity)

Introduce Activity/Give Instructions

1) Explain that this exercise gives people a chance to perform a quick self-check on their feelings and attitudes about change.

2) Give each participant a handout (see * below). Ask participants to check whichever box (“Negative” or “Positive”) best reflects their initial reaction to each word or phrase.  Tell them to go with their initial “gut response”, not to over think it.  If they feel neutral on a word, have them do their best to decide if their reaction is closer to the positive or to the negative side of the range.

*The following should appear on the handout: 

 3)  Allow participants about 1 minute to complete the list.

 Debrief Exercise

4)     Instruct participants to count the number of positive and negative responses and note them in the Totals row.  Ask how many people had more negatives than positives and vice versa.  Make the following points:

·             We tend to view change either as a challenge or opportunity.

·             Even those of us with many positives have some concerns about different aspects of change.  

Participant Introductions (Optional)

Time: 10 minutes

If you would like to wrap the participant introductions into the icebreaker: 

1)     Tell the participants you’d like them to take about 30 seconds each to introduce themselves and tell the group a little about their attitude towards change. Each person should share:

·              Their name and department

·              The word from the Exercise they had the most positive reaction to

·              The word from the Exercise they had the most negative reaction to

Be sure to keep track of words/phrases that were mentioned the most as a negative or positive.

2)     Thank the participants for sharing their responses. Comment on the following:

·      Some words elicit both positive and negative responses

·      Some words can be one person’s most favorable and another person’s most negative.

3) Divulge which words were seen most positively, and which were perceived most negatively.  (If there is time, you can always expand on this.)

4) Summarize by saying that each person reacts differently to change — even when we are only reading or hearing words that represent change.   Change gets to our “gut” as much as it gets to our heads – and many of our strongest reactions come from there.  Reactions that arise from our “gut” are just as valid as those that arise from our heads.

     5) Transition to the next activity in your change management training session or discussion.

This material excerpted from the Leader’s Guide to the video program, Taking Charge of Change.

By Tiza Pyle

Change is the Only Constant

Change is upon us, and we no longer doubt that it has become the way of life in our decade and beyond. In the real world, change occurs only when people embrace it, champion it, and have the courage to move onto uncharted paths. Successful change is about discovery and resistance, and attending to the needs of the people who are an integral element of the process.

Mentoring As Support for Change
Effective mentoring is a powerful way to address people’s needs during change, thus reducing resistance, and opening the path for the new desired future.

Mentoring Competencies That Support Growth
The ability to guide people through successful change is linked to specific mentoring competencies.

Successful mentoring relationships act as vehicles that enable people to develop the new behaviors that are necessary for change. These relationships are based on simple, but powerful principles:
• Mutual trust, developed as a result of mutual respect;
• Commitment to growth and discovery, through support and challenge;
• Openness to give and receive help and feedback;
• Commitment to action and results, the ability to make it happen.

Examples of Mentoring Help during Change
Each phase of transition offers different mentoring challenges. The following examples illustrate how mentoring behaviors can be tailored to meet specific needs.

Phase 1. Optimism
Early in the change process people may have an unrealistic view of what is required. Mentoring can provide a direction that keeps people on an even keel, and helps them understand the full impact of what is needed during change.
The mentor accomplishes this by asking good questions that help people identify their individual reactions to the change. This questioning process looks at both positive and negative aspects of the change, and helps identify future needs. By also sharing his/her own experiences with change, the mentor makes the change experience real and possible.

Phase 2 – Pessimism
As change begins to take shape, support and understanding of emotions are essential. As people experience the difficulties associated with change, they start questioning and doubting the process.
The mentor’s role is to open the doors to possibilities, and to help people explore and understand their feelings. This phase involves taking risks in the mentoring relationship. Open and honest feedback can help people look at their own behavior, and help develop increased trust through genuine caring and mutual respect.

Phase 3 – Resistance
This is a powerful phase, and the energy generated here needs to be channeled into creative ways that lead to buy-in for the change. People’s reactions can take various forms, and the dominant theme is an unwillingness to embrace the change. Fighting resistance is not productive.
The major role of the mentor in this stage is to listen, and to help people recognize their reasons for the resistance. The key mentoring behaviors are a combination of support and challenge that shows respect for the person’s position, but at the same time provides growth-oriented feedback that can help him or her move beyond resistance. The mentor does not see resistance as a negative, but as an opportunity to better understand the real impact of change on people an the organization. Some of the most creative solutions for problems have been generated from resistance.

Phase 4 – Acceptance and Commitment
In this phase, there is a great deal of positive energy and commitment to the future, as people are starting to believe in the process and feel a part of it.
Here, the role of the mentor is to empower people to move to action that will sustain the change, and to help people reflect on the various steps of the journey. Change is a dynamic process, and learning from past experiences increases people’s ability to better deal with future changes. The mentor plays a key role in enabling people to formulate and commit to action plans for making the transformation work. The ability to celebrate success, and the insight to recognize both individual and group contributions are other key behaviors that contribute to the success of change.

Tiza Pyle is a senior consultant at Perrone-Ambrose Associates Inc. in Illinois. Copyright 2003 by the International Mentoring Association.
Reprinted from the International Mentoring Association, www.mentoring-association-org.

Need Help in this Area?  Try: Pygmalion Effect: Managing the Power of Expectations
This program shows how simple it can be – expect great things of your employees, and they’ll internalize the message and beat your expectations.