Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2020 - 35

"CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT IN LIFE."
HERACLITUS

oday's volatile, uncertain, complex and
ambiguous - also referred to as VUCA -
environment is accelerating at a pace that
threatens to overwhelm. However, according to
the 2019 Change Lab Workplace Survey, it
is the quality of change leadership, rather than
the quantity of change, that drains or sustains.
In the face of fluctuating regulations, disruptive
competitors and emergent client requirements,
learning professionals and people leaders can
employ five strategies to build resilience.

THE RESILIENCE REMEDY
Resilience is the ability to adapt well in the
face of threat, adversity or significant stress. A
critical survival element to assimilate to ongoing
change, resilience allows oneself to bounce back
after hardship.

STEWARD YOUR MIND
AND EMOTIONS
Change is a journey to a place you and your
peers have never been before. This is risky
business. Rather than moving straight from
current state to goal state, the path of change
curves with emotional dips, including fear and
anger, as employees leave the status quo
behind for the great unknown. People often
take change personally. Fueling this emotional
dip, per the NeuroLeadership Institute, is a
sense of social threat - fear of how the change

will impact oneself and their interactions with
others. Without a growth mindset, new and
uncharted paths increase that sense of threat.
The growth mindset, characterized by Dr. Carol
Dweck as a bent toward true learning, includes
a willingness to embrace challenge and persist
through adversity - qualities essential for
successfully navigating change. As you travel
through the change curve, allow for progress
rather than perfection. Individuals with growth
mindsets stretch themselves, accept feedback
and take the long view. An openness to hard
work, risk and even the prospect of failure
provide foundational aspects for cultivating
change resilience.
To develop a growth mindset, become aware
of the personal narrative in your head. If you
notice that you quickly approach on problems
with fixed answers or solutions, open yourself
up to alternatives. During times of challenge,
speak statements that make room for growth.
For example, if a new opportunity is bungled,
rather than remarking, "Wow, that was really
bad," try saying, "Guess I am not there quite
yet. I need more practice." Allowing for growth
relieves pressure and enables you to set
appropriate expectations.
Through their words and actions, leaders either
communicate a sense of hope for the future
or foster stress and fear. The most effective
leaders of change develop their emotional
intelligence in order to leverage the power of
positivity as they move their people through
change. Emotions are contagious, so be careful
what you spread!

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE -AGILE LEARNING 2020 I WWW. T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2020

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