Acknowledging the anxiety

Many people are feeling it; the anxiety of returning to workplaces, crowds, elevators and common areas. 

Do you ignore it? 
Do you say something? 

If you say something, might you make it worse or bring into focus something that’s better left as it is? 

In tough times particularly, we must spend time interacting, engaging, asking and listening. 

It’s a facilitation technique to acknowledge what is there - not ignore it. 

I recall I was facilitating a corporate workshop on the day of the 9/11 attacks. I may have been in Australia, half a world away, but it was a global event. 

Our workshop started later, slower, a revised agenda, more breaks ... and less expectations. We talked a lot about the events of the day. 

We worked with what was there, not pushing forward with previous priorities. 

In these times of increased anxiety, you’ve got to say something. 

Go slower. 
Ask. 
Listen. 
Wait. 
Pause. 
Reflect. 
Wait. 

That means the rush and push of people needs to slow a little while we adapt.

This article about the ‘spectrum of feelings’ people have in the return to offices from Digiday outlines what’s making people feel anxious and some tips on how to respond. 

Making sense of the bushfires in Australia

Trying to make sense of the bushfires in my beautiful Australia - I can only map emotions.

A spiraling and ongoing crisis that lurches from shock to deep sadness and then anger ... on again, to shock and disbelief, sadness, anger.

Breaking this pattern via donations, reading and learning, being with and checking in on friends and family, grateful for every little thing.

Praise and courage to the first responders and firies, to the victims, families and affected regions and communities - to friends who have prepared and defended properties or got the heck out and saved their family. And to the charities and supporters helping to bring hopefulness.

Leading change is a three-step thing

At a retailer's staff forum on innovation recently, the team was encouraged to 

• envisage
• think big and
• imagine

These are all such visual, thinking and 'possibility' words. It was all about what they could 'see'.

To survive and thrive in the challenging retail environment, this team had to change how they were working, how they were responding and how they were evolving the business. 

That's a lot of change. 

Add to that the usual change processes of new technology, systems, and other ways of working that go on across the business. 

For this team, change had to be a three-step thing. But it wasn't the boring three-step of: 

1 .analyse

2. think

3. change. 

Dan and Chip Heath in their book on change 'Switch' report on research from Kotter and Cohen where this approach is mighty popular, yet super ineffective at creating, driving and embedding change. 

Folks... the dance steps have to 'change'. 

The three-step thing that will work is:

1. see

2. feel

3. change.

Am I getting all emotional on you here? Well, analytical stuff works best when things are known and the future is clear. 

But in the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment we all operate in, often the future is... out of focus, blurry. 

See, Feel, Change is about seeing evidence that gives you a feeling and from there you can change. You can help guide people through their responses to that feeling about what they've seen. Show people what's going on. Let them see how things could be. How do they feel about that? That's when change will come. That's when people get on board, buy in, sign up and advocate for the change. 

Otherwise you're just dancing in the dark!

Read more in Dan & Chip Heath's book 'Switch' here