Pace Your Expectations During Organizational Change

“Generosity is more fun. That’s the key.” Robert Thurman (1941 – ), American scholar and Buddhist monk

Is it really possible to have fun during an organizational change that feels like is turning your world upside down? You bet.

What if – with your effort, your smile or your ear, your supervisory / management / leadership skills, etc. – you focused more on the upside of the change? Giving a smile to someone doesn’t cost a thing. Nor does lending your ear. Nor does writing an email to help someone needing some guidance. We are all informal leaders. Why not tap into that skill set during change and see what happens?

These and other simple actions on your part will result in you finding more come your way. It will. It may not always happen as quickly as you’d like, but it’s the better bet in the long run.

I realize that just smiling does not make change easy all of the sudden. But, it can and will assist you in ways you haven’t even thought of.

ACTION

• Smile an extra three times every day this week.
  
• Check in with a colleague to see what’s going on and offer a kind or helpful word. This is as simple as asking how s/he is and stopping to listen to the response.
  
• Find a junior person who seems to be struggling with the change a bit and exercise your management skills. Let him/her know that change will also happen and is necessary to learn and grow.
  
• Ask your manager or the team leading the organizational change how you can help. Whew – this is a great way to position yourself for long-term success while having all kinds of fun along the way.
  

Pace your expectations on how fast organizational change will occur. Set a positive example by giving of yourself a bit more. Then. . .enjoy more.