The phrase new normal ranks as high as unprecedented and pivot in this season. You probably have started the discussion about what the future holds. A new normal carries anticipation of change.
You have an opportunity right now to prepare for the potential changes. As Ronald A. Heifetz in Practicing Adaptive Leadership points out – people resist change because of the fear of loss.
The world since March has walked in a season of change full of loss. Leaders and organizations will have to walk empathetically to a new normal because things will not go back to normal pre-pandemic.
When I think about change, I think about a Tuesday night service at the church I attended in Pennsylvania. A group of young adults ran a service at a music venue called Chaplin’s. We loved it and saw a relative amount of success. Soon the attendance began to plateau.
A wise friend made this statement, “Chaplin’s had a season.” In that statement, he acknowledged the success while also realizing to move forward would not make sense. Interestingly enough, refocusing our attention from the Tuesday night service at Chaplin’s meant more engagement in small groups and serving at the church.
You will experience more change in the next few months. Whether you find yourself leading the change or following the change, you can respond with adaptability. That does not mean you have to overlook your loss. You can grieve.
I want to take a moment to share three thoughts to frame how you see change in the next few months:
Change does not equal failure in the past.
Telegrams communicated messages the fastest at one point in history. Imagine trying to send a telegram today instead of an email. The inventors of email owe telegrams. The steps in communication brought change. It’s critical in this season to acknowledge that not every change comes from a failure in the past. The failure of change, in this case and others, would be to resist it.
Change we decide comes easier than change decided by others.
You may have options to decide or lead change decisions. At other points, you will receive a change you did not choose. Knowing this insight invites you to receive a change with patience. If you have to lead a change, this insight reminds you to consider how people might respond to your decision.
Change pushes us to make progress where we might not have.
Several articles have shared the success of working from home since March. Some organizations saw the value of employees working from home years before 2020. What if it did not take a crisis for us to experiment or embrace change? We might have come to some of these decisions sooner. I wonder what would happen if we didn’t need a crisis to make change decisions.
I want to encourage you in this season of change along with the others to follow. We can hold in tandem our grief of a loss while also looking forward to unexpected opportunities.
How are you preparing for change in the upcoming months? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Photo by Fabien Bazanegue on Unsplash
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