Written by: Lina Fadaee, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
“The fundamental response to change is not logical, but emotional.” — Tom DeMarco
When a person faces change, be this desired change or change that has been pushed upon them there are a series of emotions that are present. When leading teams through change, emotions are an important element.
The Negative Emotions of Change
Initially, change can evoke strong negative, dark, and fearful emotions. We can feel emotions such as denial, anxiety, shock, anger, and frustration. When these emotions are prominent, morale and productivity will be low. It will be difficult to focus on work and achieve the needed tasks, it can also be challenging to be around people, thus seriously impacting teams and their cohesiveness.
A brutal example of how negative emotions can snaffle a team’s ability to adapt to change was when I took on a new regional management role in employment services. The branch had just experienced a messy restructure, which had resulted in a loss of almost half the workforce. The branch had closed its mainstream employment branch and kept its disability employment branch. They retained their most experienced and high-performing staff from the mainstream branch and transferred them to disability services.
The staff had worked for the company between 7 to 14 years. Although there are differences in supporting mainstream job seekers and people with disabilities, given suitable training and support an experienced employment consultant should be able to quickly transition. The tools, systems, and contractual requirements were ultimately similar.
On commencing the training for the staff, I quickly became baffled by the low level of cognitive ability and the challenge staff had with retention of new information. Following a series of team meetings and one-on-one meetings, I understood most staff were battling with negative emotions associated with change, they were in a state of shock, anxiety, fear, and were grieving the loss of their long-time work colleagues.
Harnessing the Positive Emotions of Change
My focus had to shift to emotional management and creating safety and building trust. Until this was achieved everything else was put on hold. In a period of three months, this team went from almost zero results to becoming the highest performing team throughout the company, not only exceeding but doubling their targets. Key lessons for me were the importance of trust in leadership, supporting staff through negative emotions, and fostering the positive emotions related to change. When people experience positive emotions such as acceptance, hope, excitement, energy, and enthusiasm morale is high and they are at their most productive which ultimately supports transition and growth.
Let’s face it, with all that needs to be implemented during the process of change, the longer our teams linger with negative emotions the more challenges the change process will have. Negative emotions are a natural part of the change. The intensity and duration of our emotions run in correlation to how expected and significant the result of the change is, along with our openness to change, and ability to recognize and manage our emotions.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Managing Change:
How expected and significant is this change?
How can we support our teams to swiftly move past initial negative emotions?
How can we foster positive emotions?
Do our teams understand the emotions we experience during change?
Do we need external support such as emotional intelligence training, coaching, or group coaching?
Our emotions are just one element of navigating change, albeit an important one! For more tips related to change management check out my blog Tips to Help Embrace Change Facilitating Growth.
Let’s talk more about change, book a complimentary consultation with Liina now.
Look forward to meeting with you!
Liina Fadaee,
CEO – Executive Coach – Change and Career Coaching
Lina Fadaee, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Liina Fadaee is on a mission to support individuals and businesses with growth. She is proud to have supported hundreds of people from vast backgrounds and levels to achieve their goals, either directly or through the training and leadership of staff. Liina is the founder of Consult For Growth, an organization specializing in coaching and training across careers, change, and diversity.
Before launching Consult For Growth, Liina served in management roles for leading corporate and not-for-profit organizations. She has been recognized and awarded for fostering rapid growth through strategic business development activities and implementing positive cultural change. Liina is a Certified Executive Coach, ICF ACC, a robust facilitator, and holds an International Business Degree.
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