Leadership in Times of Change Part 1: Embracing Evolution & Perspective
This is a message for anyone in a tough leadership position. Anyone who’s amidst a crisis. Anyone who cares about other people, and wants to help as much as they possibly can. Who is trying their best to hold everything together, but is on the verge of breaking down on the inside.
If you’re navigating big changes in your company and holding space for your team, for everyone’s emotions, fears, and concerns, but silently suffering on the inside, thinking you have to stay strong for the sake of others - let this article give you a new perspective.
This is for you - driven, compassionate, self-reliant dreamer with a big heart and an even bigger vision. I see you, I am you. Here’s my open letter to you.
Leading in times of change and uncertainty
A year ago, I had a client whose team got affected by layoffs. She felt the immense responsibility for that, as well as the guilt of “surviving,” and faced this emotional struggle every day at work - while trying to do her job and allay the fears and stress of the rest of her team.
She came to me because I work with leaders who shield and take care of everyone.. except themselves.
The change at her company shook her up. Suddenly, what seemed stable and certain before was no longer stable or certain. The whole situation felt very unfair. How do you continue to lead when nothing feels the same?
I helped her remember that leadership is not about protecting other people’s comfort. It’s not about trying your best to keep things the same. On the contrary: leadership is about embracing, navigating, and masterfully leveraging CHANGE for the ultimate benefit of everyone.
Because change is evolution: growth, adaptation, and improvement.
Embracing Evolution to Create True Stability
Yes, change is uncomfortable. Change can be scary. Humans are wired to fear and avoid uncertainty. We’ve survived due to this defense mechanism. But, ironically, overcoming this defense mechanism is what has helped us evolve.
Everything is in a constant process of evolution. All human progress is based on change: adapting to changing circumstances, navigating change, or even inciting change. In this process of transformation, even destruction leads to something new: new ideas, new landscapes, new species, new inventions, new solutions, new products. This is evident in both human history and natural history.
In nature, nothing is static: seasons, life cycles, the flow of water, the shape of mountains. At the core, the opposite of change is stagnation - and where there’s stagnation in nature, there’s disease.
Think of those murky, bacteria-infested pools of still water that occur when it stops flowing. Animals instinctively know to avoid these pools. No flow, no change - stagnation, disease.
Nature shows us that change is not only necessary for health, for life, and for growth - it IS life, it IS health, and it IS growth.
To lead is to embrace this concept. It can be difficult, uncomfortable, painful. This is why so few people choose to lead (even though everyone has the capacity). To lead is to see where change is needed. Where it’s overdue. Where it can help restore healthy flow so that stagnant waters no longer harm the ecosystem. To lead is to create an environment where change is incorporated into the workflow in a way that benefits the individuals and the whole. Tricky to do, yes. But dangerous if avoided.
Avoiding change leads to stagnation, not stability. It may feel like the safe thing to do, but over time, it does more harm than good.
Avoiding change is often WHY layoffs happen. When a company’s success creates a false sense of stability, innovation stops. And the slow decline begins. Until one day, what felt stable gets turned upside down, the company must restructure in a drastic and painful way, and everyone wonders why.
“Stability” is a milestone we achieve on our path of growth. But it’s a milestone we must pass and keep going - to keep growing, learning, and evolving. Because stability is actually a moving target. It changes, just like everything else. To expect this milestone to stay in the same place is similar to expecting a gallon of milk to cost the same in 1980, 2000, and 2020. Stability is what a truly great leadership team accomplishes by incorporating healthy change into their business model.
Change is not the enemy. Change is the TOOL by which leaders can create truly stable, creative, and fulfilling workplaces.
Leadership: Creative Thinking and Seeing the Bigger Picture
We can think of navigating (and incorporating) change as a creative pursuit, because leading oneself and others through a disruptive time takes a lot of creativity. Finding inventive pathways and solutions, changing how we view a situation, combining our strengths to become bigger - it all relies on creativity. To tap into this is to tap into one of our biggest potentials as humans: our ability to think big.
Leading in times of change and upheaval requires us to see the bigger picture. We don’t have to bypass grief, confusion, and sadness in order to do that: we still acknowledge the sudden pain of seeing our coworkers being let go, we continue being great listeners and mentors, we allow our own feelings. We process the grief. But then we can see the bigger picture of change, seeing changes that will somehow benefit everyone. Opportunities. Growth. Ways forward, ways sideways! Opportunities for your team moving forward, and opportunities for those who got laid off elsewhere. There’s a whole world out there. Growth simply must happen.
Leading in times of change requires us to stay compassionate in the immediate moment, while holding on to that bigger perspective - that change is not only inevitable, but is necessary, and not just for the group as a whole, but also for the individuals.
“Are you saying it’s a good thing when people get let go?”
No. What I am saying is that, as a leader, it doesn’t serve you or your team to see that as a tragedy. What if the people affected by layoffs will find a much better fit elsewhere? What if the layoffs are a shortcut towards their next career step? Believing in this is better for your mental health and for your decisions moving forward. As the leader, wouldn’t you rather see your team’s potential? Wouldn’t you rather believe that everyone has what it takes to rise higher, overcome challenges, and find a job that they’re a great fit for? Isn’t that our job as leaders, to see and cultivate this personal power in each and every person we work with?
Once again, we don’t bypass sadness and we don’t hold back compassion - but we simply don’t allow our emotional state to get swept up by the tidal wave of change. We choose to surf it instead. Keep our heads above water and see the bigger picture.
It’s not just about resources, and the redistribution of them. It’s about every individual’s needs and potential. Helping each person find their best way forward, one that aligns better with their needs and potential, not only helps them navigate change, but also helps them see that they can rise above it. That they have more than enough skills and personal power to redirect and find something better. That they have all the confidence, skills, and resources they need to forge their path. Our role as leaders includes seeing this in everyone and nurturing these innate qualities.
In other words, leading in times of change is aiding evolution: helping people (starting with the self) evolve, adapt, get creative, rise above challenges, and ultimately see that they are more powerful and more capable than they believed themselves to be. It’s acknowledging the difficult while finding the good. It’s rising together, reaching our next level together. Expanding and transforming yourself and helping others do the same.
And all the while, always holding in mind the simple truth: humans are infinitely creative beings with limitless potential who can overcome anything.
Continue reading Part 2: Sustainable, Healthy, and Generous Leadership starts with you
On the the vital role of self care and how to fill your cup first - making sure your time in leadership is sustainable and healthy.
AND:
I’m hosting a free 2-part workshop on finding your identity outside of work and re-defining what leadership means to you.
April 25 + 27, read more and register here.
Hi, I’m Kat!
I help women in leadership overcome stress & burnout, balancing their mission and their wellbeing
If career longevity is your priority, if your leadership role is helping you impact people the way you’ve always wanted - let’s work together to ensure that you’re filling your cup first, replenishing your energy, and giving from overflow.
I support women in demanding roles through custom one-on-one coaching for your specific needs and goals.
FIND OUT MORE here
Browse these other free resources while you’re here:
➛ If you’re not sure who you can be outside of your current job/career:
Article & thought exercise: “What You ‘DO’ vs Who You ‘ARE’”
(And why basing your identity on your job title is harmful in the long run!)
➛ If you’re ready to redirect your life & career but aren’t sure where to begin:
Free Masterclass: Radical Redirection: How to follow your heart with practical steps!
A pre-recorded 90 minute workshop on the 7 ingredients of redirection and how to apply them to your life.
➛ If you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, busy but not getting where you want to go in life:
Free Guide: How to Get Unstuck from Just About Anything
A step-by-step guide to diagnose WHY you’re stuck and give you fresh ideas to find your way!
