If you’re part of a change program, one of the first questions you’ll ask yourself is Are our people ready for change?
If you do, you’re really asking about two themes: Hardiness (aka resilience) and Readiness (aka preparedness, or being able and willing)
In fact, the success of your program will be helping your employees or team members tap into both aspects and, perhaps more so, provide help, support and services to those who are not.
Hardiness and Readiness are interesting in that they’re compatible and, in a way, opposite.
Hardiness is one’s ability to endure and survive difficulty. People who are hardy or resilient are better able to manage and deal with stressful situations, now or in the future. The beliefs, attitudes and personal support structures – like a spouse, good friends, one’s history with adversity – come from a person’s past. Looking at it in a different way, you could say Hardiness is what’s happened in one’s past that makes them who they are today.
That’s where Readiness steps in.
Readiness is the state of being prepared for what’s next. It builds upon one’s Hardiness, but adds other characteristics, such as existing skills and training for new skills, flexibility to adjust moving forward, and genuine optimism and positivity. If Hardiness comes from the past, Readiness helps guide a person toward the future.
Let’s look at Hardiness in more depth.
Hardiness is Based on Three Attributes
People have built up their hardiness or resilience in three ways: they …
Get involved (‘Commitment’)
Focus on what they can influence (‘Control’)
See opportunities, not obstacles (‘Challenge’)
Commitment
Hardy people possess a strong sense of dedication and commitment – and not necessarily just about work. They have a compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning, even when they don’t feel like it. They care passionately about things important to them, which are often many, and at other times, obsessively so about a singular issue. They simply do not give up when faced with adversity. Hardy people also have a deep and meaningful relationship with others, at all levels.
Key points about Commitment:
- Possesses strong sense of dedication; never gives up when faced with hurdles
- Cares passionately about things important to them
- Creates deep and meaningful relationships with others
Here’s the opposite of someone without a sense of Commitment:
- I avoid
- I am passive
- I’ll wait and see
Control
Hardy people spend their time and energy focusing on the situations and events where they have control. They do not spend time worrying about things they cannot change. Because they focus their efforts, they feel empowered and confident. They spend time expanding their circle of influence, particularly around other people who understand control, instead of getting trapped in their own small circle of concern, or someone who tends to whine about what they can’t control.
Key points about Control:
- Spends time and energy focusing on situations where they have control
- Doesn’t worry about things they can’t control
- Constant wants to expand their circle of influence
Here’s the opposite of someone with Control:
- I feel helpless
- I play the victim
- I focus on what I can’t change
Challenge
Hardy people view difficult situations as challenges, not as paralysing events, obstacles or setbacks. They see change as a natural and constant part of life. They approach all problems with an open mind and a willingness to learn from failures. To a resilient person, every challenge is an opportunity, especially for their own personal growth, as much as the team around them.
Key points about Challenge:
- Sees difficult situations as opportunities
- Approaches problems with an open mind and willingness to learn
- Believes every challenge is an opportunity for personal growth
Here’s the opposite of someone without a sense of Challenge:
- I believe change is a threat
- Consistency is preferred over improvement
- Routine is better and easier for me
Here’s a picture of these three attributes together. (If you want the original slide, contact me.)
This is the ideal – but it’s never the reality
No one has all of these qualities all of the time. Even the best people have days of uncertainty and doubt.
As a change leader, the key is understand yourself first, to know when and what aspects of the environment are happening that make you act or re-act in positive or negative ways. And while it’s great to have moments of positive change, you learn more about yourself when you make mistakes and how you deal with them.
These qualities will help you help others who are also on a journey of change. By asking questions and actively listening to others, you help encourage and support others. (Of course, remember too that between you is always helpful.)
In fact, you want to demonstrate this empathic connection with others as you will want them to model your behaviour and help others who will also be going through the ups and downs of any change program.
Finally, from the conversations in our workshops, here are some additional thoughts from participants on additional ways to help and support colleagues in times of change. Please, add your thoughts and comments below.
How to Help People Be More Hardy
Set clear, explicit objectives, purpose and expectations – including a clear deadline.
Be a role model / role-model the behaviour you want others to demonstrate.
Make all communications positive, authentic (believable) and consistent.
Help them see what they are in control of, including their strengths and assets.
Create town hall meetings where people can gather together, and talk and debate with ‘rotating’ senior leadership who moderates the meeting; put notes or comments from the meeting online for those who can’t attend or want to access later.
When you (or the process) screws up, admit it, adjust and keep going.
Have 1-1s when needed; create a risk-free environment for discussion.
Use and build upon the organisation’s values, or create team values to align with organisational values to embed them further.
Know who your influential and positive people are, they’re the ones who others go to naturally.
Remind people what is NOT changing, and/or that many changes also bring new opportunities.
Provide genuine feedback and recognition for good work.
Provide coping mechanisms, such as EAP or similar models.
Work to establish trust (credibility + reliability + empathy).
Understand their connection to their job: is it tied to their sense of self; what is the future state; where is their career going?
Incentivise good questioning. Good questions helps people get the information they want.
Allow the target to choose the communications channel they prefer.
Mark a single place where all change information is housed, and keep it up-to-date as well as show a calendar of events.
Allow the target to pick which skills they need for the training program, as well as their preferred style of training.
Remember Supervisors will probably need the most training, especially in softer skills (empathy, listening).
Finally, here’s a tremendous resource, courtesy of the Queensland Government: Managing People Through Change.
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