Change

How To Keep Your Sense of Self After Losing Your Job

Because you spend so many hours of your life at work, your job can feel like an important part of Who You Are as a human. You first meet someone and they ask “what do you do?” meaning “what’s your job?” So if you lose your job, it can feel like a major blow to your sense of self. Who even are you if you aren’t a Fill-in-the-Blank right now?

 

If you’ve lost your job and you’re feeling a bit lost, it’s important to remember that your job is just one piece of your career, and your career is just one piece of you.

 

First, it can help to remember that losing a job is often times about much more than just you (and sometimes it isn’t even about you at all!) When I was laid off from my very first job, I was heartbroken. I believed that if I had just been better, they would have kept me. Luckily my stepmom is a career coach, and she helped me see that the market for our business was changing, and that’s why the company laid off not just me but five of the newest people. She taught me the phrase “last hired, first fired,” and helped me understand that it wasn’t personal.

 

Losing a job is rarely the personal insult we think it is. It can have much more to do with the state of the industry, the finances of the business, and the current needs of a team.

If you’ve lost your job and you’re feeling a bit lost, it’s important to remember that your job is just one piece of your career, and your career is just one piece of you.

Next, it can help to shift your thinking from “it’s not about me” to “here’s what is about me!” Remind yourself that you *chose* your career. It wasn’t an accident (even if you don’t remember all the tiny decisions along the way that led to you ending up where you are.) You had the power to make decisions, and you chose what to study or spend your time learning. You chose which jobs to interview for along the way, and which to accept or turn down. You chose how to present yourself to colleagues and clients.

 

You have been the driving force behind your career so far, and you are still the driving force behind your career. Getting to where you are wasn’t an accident of fate, it was something you worked for and earned. And you will do it again, because you’re not powerless.

 

A woman came up to me at an event recently and wanted to talk to me about a job loss that had happened two years ago but was still weighing on her mind. She said “when they fired me, my boss criticized me for things he said I did that weren’t even true. I had just had a great review 6 months earlier! It’s made me doubt that I’m even a good judge of my own work.” It took awhile, but we were able to realize together that if her boss was holding on to beliefs that weren’t even true, why should she trust his judgement of her at all? I

 

Your job is not you. It’s a piece of you, but so is your ability to move forward. So focus on that, and the job part will more easily fall into place!

What Young Employees Get Wrong About Asking for Advice

In my research on adaptability, the youngest employees (under age 35), were the LEAST likely to ask for advice, help, or mentorship when making decisions in an uncertain situation.

Fear of “looking stupid” may be a factor causing young employees to hold back. Or feeling like they should already know the answer might contribute. But whatever the cause, young employees put themselves at a disadvantage when they don’t ask for advice.

The research is clear – getting guidance from other people who have different experiences than you helps you make better decisions. Holding back on getting input from others because you think it makes you look more competent has the OPPOSITE effect.

Check out the research in my new book ReVisionary Thinking, wherever you buy your books (including Amazon and Barnes and Noble).

5 Advantages of Accepting Change (Instead of Fighting It)

The world is always changing: trees grow and trees get cut down. The “latest” technology becomes outdated in months. Even YOU aren’t the same person you were last year.

 

We know change is a given. But one of the hardest things for many people to grasp about change is that it happens with or without your consent. You can fight against changes, or you can begin accepting change and figure out a way to make the most of it. The easiest way to get on board with change is by recognizing the advantages that change brings.

 

Five Advantages of Accepting Change

1) More time.

Most people who resist change find that their resistance efforts are futile. Your time is important, and it could be put to so much better use. So, why waste time resisting change?

 

2) Less misery.

Change may feel miserable at first, but fighting a losing battle also results in misery. Getting on board with change produces less stress in the long run, and gives you a chance to make something good come of it.

 

3) Increased progress.

When you get on board with change, you have the ability to make the most of your new situation. Change offers new opportunities and choices.

 

4) More control.

Fighting change reinforces a sense of lack of control over life circumstances. When you turn your focus inward and spend your time controlling what you can control in the situation, you’re likely to realize a more favorable outcome.

 

5) More opportunities.

Change can feel paralyzing. But successful people are more likely to use change as a springboard to a new, brighter future. No, those opportunities don’t happen by default. It takes work to discover them and nurture them. But it only happens if you actually reframe change as full of possibility.

 

It’s okay to feel intimidated by change. The unknown is always scary! But the quicker you commit to taking that first step forward into change, instead of trying to avoid it, the quicker you’ll get to take advantage of the success that change can bring.

Get Comfortable with Change using this Strategy from the ReVisionary Thinking book

Author of the book ReVisionary Thinking Courtney Clark reads an excerpt from Chapter 1. Learn how to develop a “tolerance for ambiguity” that will help you be successful in uncertain and new situations. Tolerance for ambiguity is a key predictor of success even when you’re dealing with change.

How to Generate Solutions to a Problem

How do you come up with GOOD solutions when you’re faced with a problem? There’s a simple, 2-word question you can ask that’s guaranteed to help you be more successful.

Courtney reads an excerpt from her upcoming book, ReVisionary Thinking, that includes a case study from Procter & Gamble’s product development team, and how they broke the mold by asking questions.

The book is on shelves May 17th, 2022!

Could Adaptability Fix the Employee Retention Problem?

As the 2022 train pulls out of the station, one thing is clear: the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the workforce, possibly forever. Employees began resigning in droves early in the pandemic – dubbed the Great Resignation – and filling vacancies has been tricky ever since. Employee retention numbers still look bleak, and leaders are left wondering how to hire and maintain enough talent to complete the work that needs to get done.

 

One answer might lie in the concept of “adaptability.” Adaptability refers to a person’s willingness to change and adjust to the situation at hand. And many of us struggle with it. In a 2021 study I conducted of employees, 74% of respondents said they don’t feel able to “learn as they go” when presented with a challenge. That kind of cognitive inflexibility can easily make people feel more frustrated and less resilient.

 

When the word “flexibility” is mentioned in conversations about employee retention, it’s usually used to describe a workplace culture that accepts work-life balance. Employees can be flexible about when they arrive at work or leave, as long as they get their work done. Employee leave time could be less stringent, or work from home policies could be generous. Flexible policies are among the key perks leaders are told to use to attract and maintain team members.

 

But to really address the systemic employee retention issues, maybe the concept of flexibility needs to take on a broader meaning. Maybe the *humans* involved in the system need to be more flexible, not just the system.

 

By increasing individual adaptability in both team members and leadership, organizations may find their employees are better able to handle change, stress, and uncertainty without needing to quit. With increased flexibility and adaptability (what I call ReVisionary ThinkingTM), what previously seemed like brick walls for an organization can turn into navigable staircases.

 

Adaptability Counteracts Burnout

 

Burnout is a legitimate reason for employee turnover. Employees who are burned out are often not able to complete tasks or solve problems as well as non-burnt-out employees. But to adequately address burnout, we have to first address a fundamental misunderstanding about what burnout isn’t.

 

Most people incorrectly assume that burnout comes from being too busy (I admit to being one of them, before I did the research!). We tend to use “busy” and “burnt out” interchangeably to talk about stress. But they’re two very different concepts. Burnout specifically refers to a feeling of disengagement with the situation. It’s a shutting down that happens when your brain gets too overloaded. Burnout can certainly COME from being busy, but you can be busy without being burned out. The difference lies in motivation.

 

When employees feel motivated, they have a sense of purpose in their work. They understand how their tasks fit into the bigger picture of the problem their organization solves. These motivated employees don’t need to cling to “the way we’ve always done things,” because they understand that sometimes change, while uncomfortable, is necessary to move the entire organization forward.

 

On the other hand, employees who are stuck in their ways are more likely to experience burnout. The changes of the past 2 years feel overwhelming and unsurmountable.

 

In my 2021 study, we found 1 in 3 employees struggle to stay motivated when facing a challenging new problem. Those are the employees most at risk of burning out, because they don’t have the mental reserves to adapt and get on board with the “new normal.”

 

Adaptable Teams Have Adaptable Leaders

 

The onus for being flexible isn’t all on the individual contributors, though. Leadership plays an important role in building adaptability into the fabric of a team’s culture. A team can’t adapt unless they have an adaptable leader.

 

At some organizations, employees say they *would* have been comfortable with change, or even excited about it, but the change was handled in a way that meant the team wasn’t set up to succeed. Often, employees are being asked to change without being given the tools TO change. That may mean information, time, technology, or other resources were lacking, making the desired change nearly impossible. And in many cases, the transformation’s eventual failure is blamed on the employees’ inability to adopt the change, when in fact the change was doomed from the start.

 

Leaders who successfully lead through change make sure their employees have all the resources they need. How do they do that? They ask. They interview team members and other stakeholders to make sure the systems are in place to support the change as best as possible. The other secret bonus of asking? It’s only human nature to support what you help build. When leaders ask for input on the front end of the change, it’s more likely that those lower on the org chart will feel a sense of buy-in.

 

The Adaptable Employee

 

Higher pay and flexible hours will contribute a lot to workforce retention. Employees will naturally go where they are appreciated and rewarded.

 

But as we work to fill the workforce gaps, we should take a strong look at adaptability as a factor. Adaptable employees will be able to weather the uncertainty of our current situation. They will find purpose in their work, no matter their place in the company hierarchy. They’ll roll with the punches of 2022 and beyond.

 

For more information about my 2021 study and how you can increase adaptability in your team, visit CourtneyClark.com

Do You Know How To Brainstorm the Right Way? Most People Don’t.

Most people (and especially most organizations!) are brainstorming wrong. They aren’t giving themselves enough time to break through the boring ideas and get creative.
 
Why does it matter? Because you can’t pivot and solve new problems in fresh ways if you aren’t brainstorming well.
 
Learn the biggest mistake you can make in brainstorming solutions, and two suggestions for brainstorming better. Change the way you brainstorm, and change your future!

What Older Employees Get Right About Dealing with Change

Employees who have been around awhile can struggle with change. It’s harder to let go of “the way we’ve always done it,” when it’s been a long time.

But older employees don’t struggle with ALL of the change process, just that first step of letting go. Seasoned employees bring many benefits to the change process, including making successful decisions on how to move forward.

My research showed some surprising strengths that older employees have when dealing with change. If you’ve been in your position awhile, or you manage a seasoned work force, check this out!

What Should I Say to My Staff About Upcoming Changes?

So much is changing in our work lives right now!

If you’re wondering how to communicate with your staff about upcoming changes, there are two simple rules of thumb to follow:

More, and Sooner.

More info rather than less, and sooner rather than later. The “old” way of doing things used to be that managers only revealed information once it was all hammered out and set in stone. But if you wait until everything is finalized and about to roll out, your staff could feel blindsided and kept in the dark.

Especially after the past year-and-a-half we’ve all had, your team will appreciate the transparency of more information, sooner. Here’s how to do it…

Things are Getting Better… So Why Do I Still Feel Crummy?

“Things are getting better… so why do I still feel crummy?”

A woman asked me that question last night at an event, and it’s VERY relevant. I feel the same way.

Life is starting to get back to “normal.” We’re more able to do things we love. And yet we can also feel nervous, uncertain, frustrated, and just plain traumatized from the upheaval of the past year+. Maybe you feel guilty that you aren’t just 100% thrilled and ready to run headlong back into the world again.

I have a couple of ideas to help you deal with this feeling caught between two worlds.