Ask Christa! Adapting to Change as a SUPERPOWER!!!

Hi everyone, and welcome to Ask Christa! the place where you can ask questions about how to work through business challenges and workplace issues. I'm Christa Dhimo and today's question is a big one. How can I handle necessary changes at work better? I'm recording this segment in April, 2025, so this particular topic will resonate with a lot of people in our community, more than it would have, say, a year ago. 

I'm sure I'll receive a lot more questions about managing through changes and transitions. And this is a general question, meaning the person who submitted it did not describe how they currently handle necessary changes so as to prompt ways to handle the changes better—and that’s OK. This is an important question, and very topical, so for today, we're going to think about necessary changes as things that are big changes and often very uncomfortable, disruptive, maybe even jolting. We'll normalize the feelings of anxiety and discomfort and despair. 

But we'll also talk about how necessary changes could mean bigger things are coming, better things are coming. And that could create feelings of anxiety and discomfort too. Maybe not despair, but change is change. Change is tough. It's not because we aren't capable of it. For decades, we've all listened to people talk about change or authors write about change and how change is really hard because we're not wired that way.

But I'm not going to focus on what change is or which ones are harder than others or what change is difficult or which changes are more scary. Today we're going to reframe the notion of handling change. And the resources I provide to you at the end of the segment will help with shifting our perspective. And the reality, we do much better at change than we usually give ourselves credit for. 

The place to start from is what we all know. Life is easier and less stressful overall when we have some level of predictability and stability. This is why the best change management strategies start with assuring everyone is aware of the current state and the gains expected from a change. And the best changes are transformative, too. But even if you are expecting a change and you understand how it's going to work and the purpose behind it, and even if you will benefit directly from it, change is still uncomfortable.

It means losing some of the predictability and stability of our day to day, either in the current state or in the previous state before the change. Your day's not going to look the same as it usually does, and many times in work situations, we have very little time for a transition from what we know, or the current state, to what will be, the future state. And that's a large part of why change can be hard, especially in the work environment. It's not because we aren't good at it, although, sometimes we aren't. 

But because it creates a tension where we often have to hear about it, learn about it, make immediate adjustments, learn how to manage it, and then we have to manage it, and then adapt with dignity intact all within moments, and certainly within a day of hearing about the change. Even those wired for change, wired for transitions, wired for transformation, always ready for the next step. People like me.

Even we feel that life is easier when there's some level of predictability and stability. We have a certain amount of trust in our work environments such that we can put uncertainty and doubts aside, or at the very least, we can address them in the normal course of a day. We have more control over our time and our energy, more bandwidth, because there's some level of predictability and stability.

Now let's talk about a few examples of necessary changes so we can move out of the theoretical and into the practical. Fill in the blank. There's a change coming at work that will affect our...

Most of you probably said budget. Or maybe you said leadership team because there are a lot of leadership changes taking place where you are. Or you thought about a potential acquisition, either a company buying your company or your company buying another company. 

Then there are aspects of necessary change that trickle down from the bigger changes. Maybe an upcoming office move or some restructures taking place to accommodate contraction. Or maybe it's because of growth. Growth is good.

And yet, it's one of the biggest reasons why necessary changes come about in the workplace. On the one hand, growth often enables promotions and better development paths. But it might also mean you have to expand and hire a new percentage of your workforce, perhaps a big percentage of your workforce. Imagine hearing your company just landed three big client accounts and you'll need to increase your workforce by 30%. Great news, right?

Well, in that case, you're gaining a lot. But what do you lose? Maybe your team gets split up and more specialized, or maybe you become more specialized and have to build a brand new team. Sure, it's good for everyone and probably really good for you, but it's stressful. What was previously predictable and stable is no longer that way. 

Now, I know that in truth, most people think about what they'll lose when it comes to a necessary change in the workplace. And still, the more awareness you have about what is leading up to the change, the more predictable it is for you and the more stable your day will continue to feel. You saw it coming. 

Even if it's disruptive, and even a little change can be disruptive, it is in fact easier to handle when there's some level of predictability. You will feel more stable too. And that's backed by empirical evidence.

So going back to the question, how can I handle necessary changes at work better? For starters, I'm going to say what I always say when it comes to a more personalized workplace question. Look inward and think about what you need in a time of stress. Some tactics are the ones everyone knows about and they cannot be understated. 

Breathe, pause, create some space, but also listen to what's happening around you because in times of stress, especially high stress, it's easy to feel alone. And if you feel that way, trying to handle any stressful situation will likely feel overwhelming. 

So as you breathe and pause and make some space, remember this also, you are never as alone as you feel. You are never as alone as you feel.

As you're managing the stress that comes about from learning of a necessary change, I also ask you to reframe your thinking about change to be less about how you handle it and more about how you can adapt to it. Some changes aren't easy to handle. And in the workplace, the answer might ultimately be to get another job. Or if you've been laid off, the answer might be to find your network to feel immediately supported. 

Whatever your next step needs are, when you reframe handling change to be about adapting to change, you are redirecting your energy toward your own growth and what will work for you. This gives you a measure of control over how you adapt, and you are opening up to a mindset that can focus on smaller adjustments that lead to predictability and stability once again. 

When you have to handle a change, it’s easy to feel like the change is happening TO you—and, it probably is if it’s a necessary change at work, but when you shift to thinking about it as an adaptation, you are setting up a mindset about smaller adjustments, and those adjustments can be less reactive and more thoughtful for what you may need. 

General techniques to do this include adopting a growth mindset, opening up and learning how to see things differently. Where's the opportunity for you in the change? How could you add flexibility to your outlook to see where the change can work for you and be better for you?

And if you see opportunities and positive impacts for you regarding the change, yet you are still resisting the change because it's, well, change, then learning about quick growth mindset techniques will probably alleviate some of that stress you're feeling, or at least serve as a positive distraction while learning what will work best for you in the face of change. I’ll include resource in the shownotes about Dr. Carol Dweck’s work about Growth Mindset. It will include a wonderful YouTube video about developing a Growth Mindset, and she’s inspiring to listen to on the topic. 

Other techniques include a more philosophical approach and learning how to take things in stride, such as the ancient Stoic philosophy, where you let things go if you cannot influence or change the outcome. And a quick aside about Stoics. Stoicism isn't about being without emotion or being cold and unemotional. It's about your ability to endure suffering and discomfort without complaint because you realize there's nothing you can do about it.

You instead take the situation in stride and live the best way possible in spite of the situation, or in this case, in spite of the necessary change. 

So the first tip is about managing the immediate stress of a necessary change as a starting point, then focusing less on having to handle the change and more on what you will do to adapt to the change so it's easier for you and if you can grow and learn from it. Maybe you’ll even get something better because of it. 

The second tip is about perspective. Keep your bigger picture life goals in mind and in perspective. Life is bigger than we think, and you are not your job. I tell people that a lot. You're not your job. Beyond your job, you have a bigger role to play in the world. And while some of you might be thinking, no, Christa, my work is my life.

I challenge you to find fulfillment beyond your job. And maybe you love your business and you love your company and you love the work you do every day and that's amazing. But you're probably reaching and impacting others beyond your job, right? And if you don't think you are, I'm here to tell you you are. And if you aren't, I'm asking you to expand yourself beyond your job. 

If you are your job, if you identify so deeply with your job. It means that when necessary changes happen at work, and especially if your job changes as a result of that, which it probably will, then what happens to you? How well can you adapt to the necessary change if you identify as a person so entrenched in that very job that was just impacted by a change, and that was a change you had no control over? 

So try these two tips: immediately shift toward thinking about adapting to change instead of handling change (as soon as you firstly manage your stress), and TWO: keep your bigger life goals in perspective. 

For this segment's resources, there are a few of them, but they're short and they should be very informative and supportive for you. I've selected a couple of change and adapting to change resources at first. So there's ProSci’s ADKAR® Change Model. That's ProSci-- Professional Sciences, P-R-O-S-C-I, and the ADKAR® model is A-D-K-A-R. Again, I have that in the show notes. 

The ADKAR® change model is based on research done in the early 2000s. In fact, I was lucky enough to participate in that survey as they built the model back when I led a lot of transformation efforts. It's still something I do a lot of work in and ProSci has so much to offer by way of change management. So definitely check them out. I'm also adding a page from the William Bridges Associates website. 

William Bridges was, and in many ways still is, the authority on transitions. His work highlighted how change is about transition and how we should be talking about it that way too. He demonstrated and developed with his research three general phases of transition. And that's first, our current state has to come to an end. 

Even if it's a small change, any change means our current state won't be or won't feel the same after a change. 

The second phase is this neutral zone, which is that in between of what's coming to an end and what's starting up. This is actually where the most anxiety is stirred up, when the most concern and fear about what's coming resides. And the idea is to neutralize it with information and effort and support so that people can see what the new predictable stable day will look like. 

The third phase is you guessed it, starting what's new. And if you created an effective neutral zone, this part should be much easier for your workforce. 

You see, William Bridges argued that change isn't about flipping a switch. It's about understanding what happens during the transition so you can get the most out of good humans working with you as you transition to a future state. You're going to find parallels, by the way, between the ADKAR® model and some of the William Bridges work, and both are reflective of deep research and the research is ever evolving. 

Again, if this is an area of interest, please continue to look at what the research is saying. It's business research, and that can be surprisingly easy to read, but if reading about studies isn’t your thing, then go to your usual business-related or leadership-related website or review, such as Harvard Businses Review. Even Forbes often has articles backed up by business science. 

I also have two brief resources about Stoicism as a philosophy from the Daily Stoic. The first is about The Dichotomy of Control. A lot of times change can feel uncomfortable because we don't feel like we're in control and a lot of times we aren't in control. Again, that stability bit, the predictability piece. 

And remember-- most often we feel it's happening to us with very little time to understand it, absorb it, learn from it, that sort of thing. 

Learning to establish a different way of thinking about control and letting things be when you cannot control an outcome, in this case a necessary change, it’s not only liberating, but healthier too, and that's the basis of stoicism. 

You can release the burden of resisting the inevitable—the necessary change you have no control over—and instead put your energy toward what you can control and how to make your work life better. 

Or in the case of a layoff, if that was the necessary change, it’s about forging your next path in a way that improves what you can control. I've also included an 18 second clip from the Daily Stoics YouTube channel that gives a pretty good definition of stoicism. 

Last, I've included resources about growth mindsets. And I think it's going to sound familiar to a lot of you. 

So there it is. I hope you go further into this topic. It's a really big one and I've barely scratched the surface. So I'll be posting more about change management and transitions in the future. Remember, if you do continue to learn through this, as I've said, keep up with your resources, aim to find the experts. 

Science is a process and it's important to have the most up-to-date expertise, and business is considered a social science loaded with statistical analysis that's supported by evidence. It offers a lot of insights and again, I think you'll enjoy it. 

As always, I appreciate your support and I'm excited about how this podcast has started to take off. I'm humbled by it also. Thank you.

I have a lot of questions coming in, so please like, follow, subscribe, and send in your questions. You can enter them in the YouTube video comments or on my podcast site, askchrista.com. That's Christa with a C-H, and that's where I'm getting most of my questions, so thank you. 

And while you're there, sign up for the newsletter so you can receive weekly tips and additional resources too. 

And remember, if you have a business challenge or workplace issue, Ask Christa!