Overcoming Inertia: Embracing Change & Transition to Foster Growth & Innovation
As it’s long been said, the only constant in life is change. Yet, despite this reality, we are not often taught how to recognize and manage the psychological transition process associated with change. In the world of business ownership, changes are inevitable. Whether you’re preparing for the next phase of your organization’s growth, stepping into a new leadership role, selling your business, or merging with another company, changes can be challenging yet transformative if you are intentional about guiding yourself and your employees through the necessary psychological transition.
William Bridges, in his seminal book “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes,” (which I warmly recommend) offers profound insights into managing these pivotal moments. Here, we explore key strategies from Bridges’ work and additional tips through the lens of the entrepreneur.
Change vs. Transition
Bridges is clear to distinguish between change and transition. Change is an external influence: taking on a new role, re-designing a service, or merging with another company. Transition, on the other hand, is the internal psychological adjustment the people being impacted by the external change must go through to successfully implement the change. Without addressing the transition process, changes may fail or yield poor outcomes. Have you ever been at a company that implemented a new technology system and there was low adoption rates and no one actually used the new system as intended? That’s a classic example of a failed change; despite serious investment in time and money, no one addressed the transition piece of the equation and habits and attitudes never changed.
Understanding Transitions: The Three Phases
According to Bridges, every transition comprises three phases: the Ending, the Neutral Zone, and the New Beginning. Recognizing and understanding these phases is crucial to managing transitions successfully.
1. The Ending: Embracing Loss
Acknowledge the Loss: Every transition starts with an ending. It’s essential to recognize and process the loss of the old way of doing things. Even desired changes entail loss, and it’s important to acknowledge that. This could mean letting go of your previous role, team, or even your identity tied to your business.
Communicate Openly & Authentically: Open communication with your colleagues and family is vital. Share your feelings, hopes, and concerns about the change, and encourage others to do the same. This creates a supportive environment that promotes psychological safety and transparent 360 communication as you all navigate the transition process together.
2. The Neutral Zone: Navigating Uncertainty
Embrace the In-Between: The neutral zone is often the most challenging phase, filled with uncertainty and confusion. The external change has taken place (e.g., the acquisition of a new company has closed), but everyone is still getting used to their new roles and corporate structures, in addition to figuring out how the combined culture will work, and more. You may be inclined to rush through this phase or ignore it altogether, but don’t underestimate the power of this fallow time, as Bridges refers to it. Let things take the time they take and embrace this often uncomfortable period as a time for reflection and growth. It’s a necessary bridge between the old and the new. It is also a highly creative time that can foster innovative new ways of doing things that people may have been reticent to do when things were working on auto-pilot.
Seek Support: Surround yourself with a support network. This could include mentors, coaches, fellow entrepreneurs, and family and friends. Sharing your journey and gaining different perspectives can provide clarity and encouragement as you process your next steps.
Prioritize Self-Care: I hope that this advice will someday go without saying, but it’s easy to neglect self-care. Ensure you prioritize activities that rejuvenate you and allow you the necessary time to rest and reflect on the changes happening.
3. The New Beginning: Embracing the Future
Visualize the Future: As you move out of the neutral zone towards the new beginning, you will be able to better visualize what success looks like. Set clear, achievable goals and create a roadmap to reach them. This provides a sense of direction and purpose.
Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate your progress, no matter how small. This builds momentum and confidence as you transition into your new future.
Practical Strategies for Managing Change & Transition
In addition to Bridges’ framework, here are some practical strategies to help you navigate changes and transitions within your organization effectively:
1. Develop a Change Plan and a Transition Plan: A successful change strategy should entail not only a change plan, but a detailed transition plan. The change plan outlines timelines, key milestones, and resources, while the transition plan addresses the psychological adjustment needed for specific groups of employees going through transition together. Well-structured plans provide a clear path forward and allows you to better respond to the unexpected.
2. Leverage Your Unique Strengths: As a woman entrepreneur, you bring unique strengths that are crucial to managing transitions well. Lean into these innate assets, such as empathic communication, introspection, emotional intelligence, and collaboration to navigate transitions more smoothly and build stronger relationships with your team and clients along the way.
3. Strike the Right Balance for How Much Change to Make: When making changes, and particularly significant changes, you will want to “rip the band-aid off” and group together all the logical and necessary changes in the same change plan. Doling out changes in a trickle is painful and creates an unnecessarily protracted change and transition process. At the same time, be intentional about what changes should be undertaken together and employ restraint in how much change is introduced at any point. Now is not the time to pile on unrelated changes simply because everything feels in flux or because an executive wants to push through their own agenda. That will put the larger change and transition process at risk.
4. Stay Curious and Experiment: Adopting an organizational mindset of continuous learning and experimentation helps your company be ready for change and transition. The first step is for the leadership team to embrace this approach and be the example that guides the rest of the company. For example, stay updated with industry trends but also seek new perspectives that promote innovation and take you out of potential group think from inside your industry. This not only helps everyone gain comfort with change and transitions, but also the confidence and encouragement to try truly innovative ideas within the company.
In a world where the pace of change is continually increasing, creating an organizational culture that embraces mindful change and provides emotionally intelligent support through transitions is key to success. By understanding and embracing the phases of transition, leveraging your unique strengths, and being curious and open to experimentation, you can confidently navigate change and transition within your business. At Daybreak, managing and planning for change and transition is at the heart of our approach to growth strategies. Contact us to learn how we can help you successfully navigate and embrace change and transition in your business.
