How to cope in a world of flux

1. Be aware of your relationship to change and uncertainty

The first step is to develop awareness of your relationship to change and uncertainty. Being aware of change and how it affects us enables us to prepare for it and be better at it. You don’t need to invest in training or technology to practice dealing with change; life gives you opportunities every day. Being aware of how you cope with small changes and practicing awareness of change daily will help you be better prepared for the big changes.

2. Step back and reflect

Every time a change happens, step back and ask how you are reacting to it. Often, our default reaction is fear. Once we recognize that fear is driving our response, it’s important to ask: Is this life-threatening? If it’s not (it almost never is), it’s extremely powerful to ask instead: What’s the best possible outcome that could result from this change? And don’t just do this alone. When teams pause and take time to reflect on change together, it can bring about significant benefits.

3. Work out how you respond to different types of change

We all excel at coping with some kinds of change and struggle (sometimes disproportionately) with others. Consider what changes you are relatively better at managing and what changes you struggle with more than others. How we deal with change at work often has little to do with work itself, because these attitudes are often shaped in childhood. If we can reflect on the stories of change in our lives, both the joyful and the difficult, we can work out why we respond the way we do, then reframe our negative responses to change in our day-to-day lives.

Questions to ask yourself

• What are your typical responses and defaults in the face of change?
• What types of uncertainty do you tend to struggle with?
• What minor opportunities to change are available to you?
• What outcome might result from this change?
• What shared change practices might help your team develop?