Back Up Plan and Change Management, Blog #10

Back Up Plan and Change Management

10/7/13

Change happens all of the time in business and sometimes we are not prepared for the new way of doing things. It can be a change to an open office environment, reduction in force or the entire office infrastructure ending after multiple years of gainful business.

Or it may be a well admired office manager leaving for a new adventure only to be replaced with someone with different values and beliefs compared to yours running the organization. Although we may consider the new leadership, job ending and other changes to be manageable, they still send a small shock to our system. What we once knew is over and done and we need to learn how to blossom and grow from new experiences.

I learned about change at work by wading through varying waves of workplace challenges such as potential RIFs, work stoppages to transition in leadership. Each time I thought about where I will be in a few months once the changes have settled into place. It was hard to determine if I would survive the changes at the office, but I was determined to keep my head up. For example, I left a minor role in public affairs to take on a role as a web content manager in the public sector. I left behind a former manager and team to try on a new role that would allow me to leverage my technical skills for the first time with a newly established group. It was scary, everyone was different from me and I was just ready to jump into work to show off my web skills. I realized I needed to do more than the proverbial “keep my head down.”  I had to approach the changes and people one on one.

After a few months, I noticed the subtle differences in my new team’s work and communication styles and adjusted my approach accordingly to obtain the optimal results. I also made every effort to avoid conflicts, even when I knew a different approach on certain projects would be the best route. I did not give up, I simply choose a different approach to persuade people to also understand and support my suggestions for changes too.

In the past, I usually focus on just my work. Then I participated in a mentorship program about a year ago which resulted in a new approach at moving people to change. My former mentor listened to a story I told him about the challenges of persuading people to accept change in web content and design. Then he suggested I stop selling my ideas in a “whack hammer” approach. He suggested I try something new: just share the benefits briefly, let the person to decide and let it go.  For someone who can readily argue the merits of both sides of an issue, letting something go is not easy for me. Yet, I have been trying this new approach for 8 months with amazing results. Lesson learned.

Backup plan: When I survived a reduction in force a couple of years ago it was devastating to receive the message. It was an email followed by an in-person message stating that I had 30 to 45 days to find a new position or I would be removed from payroll in this private sector organization.

I did not have a backup plan. For example, I did not have:

·        Saving account with money to cover bills for several months

• A new job to walk into
• A part time job to supplement any money I would miss if my job lapsed
• A way to escape the inevitable reality- my job may end

·       

I         I read many books, talked to many people and realized that life was going to change for me again.

During this time of my life, I had a family to care for and a mortgage. How could I not prepare for this change? I never thought it would happen to me. A friend of my mine was also RIF’d at the same time and we decided to work together and network with senior leaders and apply for other jobs. We were fortunate and got new jobs in our respective areas of expertise before the downsizing deadline occurred.

Then I thought about the future and decided to go to graduate school to obtain a graduate degree in communications. This was step one of my backup plan. It really helped to focus on my education as both an outlet and an opportunity to prepare for an ever-changing business environment. Part two of preparing for change included putting money aside for my family’s education plan. It was not a large sum of money, however $10 to $20 dollars a month can add up over a year.

Lastly, I accepted an offer for a part-time adjunct position completely outside of my technical world of web design and HTML. It was the best example of accepting change because I found a new career field that I truly enjoy. If I had shut down when change occurred at work or did not consider a backup plan a couple of years ago, I would have missed an opportunity to grown professionally and personally.  Instead, I learned through education, experience and mentors that this was a time for me to blossom and grow from change.