I recently made another career change, launching my own independent consulting business, and a close friend said to me “Lisa you are a master at change resilience!”. She said this because in the last 9 years I have changed jobs 8 times (within 4 companies); due to various reasons such as economic declines, I was severed from 3 of those jobs; and on a personal level I have dealt with other difficult changes including divorce and moving. I think everyone will agree that change is easier to deal with when it is a choice. But how do you stay focused and resilient through a change that was imposed on you? How do you adjust quickly so that you can remain positive and productive?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines change resilience as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”. There are many great articles and training programs out there on mastering change resilience. At the end, I include a link to a very good article I read on Huffington Post. But first, I am going to share my perspective on how I have managed to master change resilience.
- Set long term goals that are not specifically tied to your current situation. Make them as personal as possible. In my case, I have had the goal of being an independent consultant for most of those 9 years. And so, each time I’ve had a job change I kept my focus on the longer term goal. I have also had a personal fitness goal and so when dealing with change, I have ramped up my personal weight training to keep me going.
- Learn from past experience. If you feel you’ve handled an imposed change poorly in the past, reflect on it and make a plan on what you will do differently the next time. Admittedly, I did not handle one of my severances well, and so I reflected on what I could do better. I was able to apply this successfully to the last severance. See change as a learning opportunity. Seek to grow as an individual through each experience.
- Try visioning. This one may be difficult for some people. I think a lot and I envision outcomes before they happen. I mostly try to focus on positive outcomes. But I also allow myself to consider how I will deal with negative outcomes. I have imagined how I might deal with the sudden end of a job or relationship, or even the loss of a loved one. These are things that we can’t always control. But we can control how we manage through them.
- Listen to your intuition. I would have to say that I knew intuitively that change was coming in each situation I found myself in. If you pay close attention to relationships and work dynamics, you will notice that there are subtle changes taking place. Learn to listen to your intuition; refer to your visioning; then prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for your back-up plan.
- Have a back-up plan or a next step ready. What will you do if……? If you have a long-term goal, your next step should be something that will get you closer to it. Between my last 2 jobs, I met with several consultants I know and researched what was needed to launch myself into consulting. I ended up taking another corporate job back then. But when that ended recently, I knew right away that I was ready to go into consulting.
- Build a positive network, both personally and professionally. Face it, everyone needs support at times. Know who you can lean on or seek advice from when change hits. Sometimes reaching out to the right people can help clear the path to the next better thing. During these past years, I have attended and presented at conferences and networking events. I have supported others on their personal journey. And I have built strong relationships with colleagues and 3rd party associates. For me, this has proven to be very beneficial as I launch my business.
- Remain positive and let go. Yes, it can be difficult, but if you choose to celebrate the positives and let go of the negatives, it will be easier to move forward. After all, haven’t most of us ended up in an even better place once we got through the change? I personally practice mindfulness and presence. The only moment that matters is the current moment. You can’t change the past, but you can shape the future by the actions you take NOW.
- Focus on the big picture. No one is defined by one job, one relationship, or any one person’s opinion. Don’t let an unexpected change impact you on the bigger level. My mother always told me “it won’t matter when you are retired”. When I look back on the past 9 years, I have dealt with a lot of change. BUT I have also grown significantly as a person, a mother, a friend, and a professional. And now I intend to put what I’ve learn to good use as a consultant.