The Value of Coaching: Embracing Change

One phrase. Five words. For some, exciting. For most, daunting. Change is inevitable and unavoidable, and today’s global pandemic is a perfect example. Including myself, millions of people have made the transition to work from home in an effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19. Not to mention that thousands of people are now out of work, and out of pay. The world as we know it is struggling to keep up with the new revelations of COVID-19 every single day. Social/physical distancing has become a norm everywhere you go. In fact, I was at a grocery store the other day and even found myself hop stepping away from others that came within six feet of me. Clearly my mind was starting to accept the transition.

I once heard a wise bird compare change and transition. He said, “change is inevitable, transition is a decision. Change is transactional, transition is relational. Change is external, transition is internal.” What I’ve taken from this is that change happens around us, whether we want it, like it, or not. Transition, the process of changing from one state or period to another, is completely up to us to embrace ourselves. When you accept the transition process, change happens a lot easier. Like myself for example, when you’re a creature of habit, change can seem extremely stressful and annoying. At the beginning of the global pandemic billions of people have encountered some kind of change within the last month. Whether they’ve transitioned to work from home, gotten laid off, or live in a country that has adopted social distancing and business closures. The question is, how can we embrace change in a way that makes the transition from one state to the next less painful and allows us to actually grow from it?

The first step to that is understanding the steps, or ‘zones’ of change and transition. In general life, when you understand a process better, we’re more likely to successfully navigate it. There are 3 Zones of Change and transition: The Ending Zone, the Neutral Zone, and the New Beginning Zone.

The Ending Zone

This stage is about losing what you had in the past. It’s normal to experience some kind of emotional reaction when faced with change. This stage is marked by resistance – we generally fight change because we want to hold on to the way things were.

The Neutral Zone

The next stage is where you are in the middle of what’s old and new. This is when you may still feel attached to the way things were, but also adapting to the changes at the same time. Feeling confused and disoriented is normal, and you may also find it difficult to remain focused, engaged and productive as you used to be.

The New Beginning

The last stage of change and transition is marked by acceptance and engagement. This is where you feel like you’ve gained your balance, and are gaining back that sense of self-control and confidence as you make the necessary adjustments for the changing situation. Embracing change is a big part of this stage, and may make you feel energized and excited to see the positive impacts of your efforts, causing a new sense of commitment to arise.

Of course, it’s much easier to read and speak about these stages than to actually navigate through them. As mentioned before, there aren’t many people who like change – change is something that we deal with. Imagine having the tools you need to lead your team or company through some big changes smoothly, and not having to suffer through it. In business, change is happening 24/7, 365 days a year. The question is, how are you personally handling change, and what can you do to help your team transition?

For those leaders who are serious about growth and making a positive impact in their spheres and would like some help with that, you can reach out to Michael Walker for a complimentary 45minute coaching conversation. You can reach Coach Mike at michael@capstonecoaching.ca We look forward to helping you achieve your desired success!