Are you struggling to meet the changes tha COVID presents to your life?

changes COVID presents to your life?

Our worlds have undoubtedly been turned upside down with the onslaught of COVID; worse still, there’s nothing much we can do to eradicate its impact. It’s ‘business unusual’ from hereon in; business ‘as usual’ has long gone. There’s no better time than now to consider change in both our lives and work. The following stages of the famed ADKAR model collectively act as a diagnostic to identify where you may face blockages to change or where you are resisting any movement through to the ‘post COVID era’. Once highlighted, these blockages provide your starting point for a targeted and individualized change plan that should assist you to build your own post-COVID strategy. equally an awareness of the consequences of not changing, there will be little chance for change to occur. Desire to change will never occur without this awareness, yet the bad news is that even with awareness in place, the next stage of ‘desire’ is not guaranteed.

Your Awareness may be blocked by your viewpoint of the current situation, circulating rumors or even the source of the change. Ask yourself: Which part of my job or life has room for alternative approaches as a result of this new reality? What will happen to my career, on both a short and long term if I do not explore those alternatives?

Whether you are looking to change up a career or life in general, we recommend you: Identify a change that you are being subjected to unwillingly identify blockages that seem to be holding you back from action, and then discover ways to manage that resistance. Resistance should remain your friend; it simply needs your tender attention as its lessons have been gift-wrapped for you and you alone Reimagine and build a post-blockage future where the change no longer deters you

Awareness Awareness is the first requirement for any change. Without awareness of the reason for the need to change, or Desire Once you have a high level of awareness, consider working with your level of ‘desire’ to make a specific change occur. Desire is different from ‘a want’; it really taps into what it is that you are prepared to do to ensure your preferred change will occur. Will you do whatever it takes to make the change happen, participate in or fully support the change, or could you easily find rea sons and ex cuse s

to sabotage any change intention? For example, it is not uncommon to hear people say they want to lose weight yet their desire is the true blockage, because they will not continue to exercise or diet.

Your Desire may be blocked by the nature of the change, your own motivators or even your own personal situation.

Ask yourself: If frustrated in your job, what are you prepared to do that will enable you to work well in post-COVID times? Are you focusing on one particular action or could you take multiple actions at once? If you are worried that your name could be on the termination or redundancy list, do you have strong and unbridled desire to do whatever it will take for them to see the value in keeping you in the team? IF you do receive a redundancy what are you prepared to do to ensure the impact is as positive as possible?

The first two phases of this diagnostic (Awareness and Desire) answer the question ‘why’ you should engage with change. The next two (Knowledge and Ability) concentrate on the ‘how to’ change. Any blockage at the above level must be cleared before you can have possibility of change with the next two levels.

Knowledge Knowledge is the phase of change that provides the facts and figures, information and techniques, references and formulae that become a source of substance and understanding for you to evolve your capabilities.

The skill of baking needs an understanding of foodstuffs, the skill of riding a bike requires information about movement and basic mechanics, the skill of driving needs knowledge of the road rules. Knowledge provides information that allows any skill or action you apply to be efficient or effective.

Knowledge levels of the how may be blocked by your ability to learn, the resources available for learning or even your openness of mind.

Ask yourself: What do I need to know about COVID’s impact to fully understand the future of my work?

With information about new jobs and ways of work, how can I apply it to my gain for a brighter career future?

Ability Change is only evidenced when new behavior is implemented. There is a huge difference between The SOURCE BUSINESS moving ahead while sitting on a pushbike, and riding it safely on the road. Saying you will change is not evidence of a changed behavior. Doing the change is what will show evidence of ‘ability’.

Your ability to apply a change may be blocked by psychological, physical or even intellectual factors.

Ask yourself: What is it that is stopping me implement a change?

Reinforcement When behavior is changed, it will often feel very uncomfortable or unnatural; new behavior can often be tempted to go back to the old way of doing things. Reinforcement encourages the sustained use of new approaches, until you have almost been reprogrammed. I have often witnessed workplaces changing a process and after six months of the new way of work, the people are unable to even recall how a task previously was achieved. However, in the early stages, there’s often a need to reinforce the new behavior before old habits creep back in.

Let’s take an example relevant to our times. It is possible that converting to virtual meetings may have presented challenges to you. You have spent the last week attempting to get more organized so you do not turn up late, or attend in a disorganized fashion. After a week of successful online meetings, perhaps you give yourself an hour off as a reward for the success.

Change is a process and works step by step. Be kind to yourself, and never forget that any change we create and customize will always be easier than enforced and mandated change. Yet there will always be a level of change that might catch us by surprise, such as COVID. It’s how your respond and not react that will make all the difference. Identify blockages, remain open to what those blockages are communicating to you and work with them in order to build a better future for all.

Debbie Nicol, managing director of ‘business en motion’, builds organizational systems, frameworks and cultures through the services of training, coaching and solutions, helping move businesses and leaders ahead through change.