The power of change

Welcome to The Resilience Brief. Twice a week, I share ideas and practical tools to help professionals do amazing work while fostering exceptional mental health. These are preventative resilience tools so that we can all thrive when challenges come our way.

“No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” - Heraclitus

COVID, AI, US Presidents, hybrid work, the list goes on.…. all of these are huge changes that we’ve experienced in the last few years.

We seem to be living in a world of constant flux. With rapid updates in technology, shifting global leadership, new platforms entering the space all the time, it can all feel a bit overwhelming.

But it’s really nothing new for us humans.

Change has always been woven into the fabric of life. We may think that we are now living in a world of more change than ever, but we can’t forget about the internet revolution, the industrial revolution, or even the agricultural revolution around 12,000 years ago, all of which produced massive seismic shifts in the trajectory of human history.

And with each change, came fear. Fear of the unknown, of lost livelihoods, of all new challenges.

However, for those who embraced the change, these significant changes weren’t the “end” of something. They were the “beginning” of something exciting.

Yes, the transition can certainly be challenging - it requires adaptability, learning new skills and rethinking old ways of life. But ultimately, while change can feel disruptive, it also carries immense potential for immense progress and innovation.

Focusing the power of change.

Here’s how change holds immense power:

It forces innovation. When change disrupts the status quo, we need fresh ideas. Many successful companies and campaigns have been created from the need to adapt. One example is Netflix switching from mail-order DVDs to becoming a streaming giant. Without that pivot, it’s almost a guarantee that Netflix would have ended up just like Blockbuster.

It generates growth. Personal and professional growth often comes from stepping out of our comfort zones. When we experience change, we are challenged to stretch, learn, and evolve. For example, how many of us have learnt how to use Slack, Zoom or Teams in the last 5 years? We had no choice at the time, but we did it.

It builds resilience. This is my fave (obviously!). When we have to navigate change, it strengthens our ability to handle future challenges. We learn to handle hard better. Shifting to remote work during the pandemic was difficult at first, but many organizations emerged more adaptable and efficient as a result.

Applying to our professional lives.

Change is less daunting when we view it as an opportunity to learn. Instead of fearing what’s different, we can ask what we can gain from it - this is the essence of a growth mindset. One way we can do that is to use language to our advantage. For example, simply changing the mindset of “we have to” to “we get to” it completely reframes the challenge into an opportunity. As simple as this sounds, it works….check it out:

“I have to learn that new platform.” → “I get to learn that new platform.”

“We have to present to the CMO.” → “We get to present to the CEO.”

It might feel like we are trying to force a new mindset with this language shift, and that is exactly what we’re doing. We’re forcing ourselves to find the opportunity rather than dwelling on the challenge. This is one fantastic way we can begin to adapt to a situation in order to create something even better.

Another way forward through change is one that I talk a lot about - focusing on what we can actually control. When change happens that we don’t really want, so much time and energy is often wasted by focusing on the stuff that we have no control over. We try to resist it, and that only leads to suffering. Instead, if we channel our energy into what we can actually do in that moment, we switch from whining mode to productive mode. The quickest way to do this is to find just one tiny thing that we can control. I often like to stop and focus on my breathing. It’s so basic, but it’s something I can control immediately. That one step gets my mind into the right frame of mind and I then look for the next thing that I can actually control.

For most professionals, change isn’t just inevitable, it can actually be a competitive advantage. When markets shift and consumer behaviours evolve, the best teams are the ones that harness that change and look for the opportunity.

These are just a couple of easy-to-use tools at our disposal. To help your team adapt to change with enthusiasm, I run workshops that dive much deeper and will set your business up for continued success. FInd out more here.

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carre @ Resilient Marketing Minds