About the Authors: Bob Rosen, an organizational psychologist, is CEO of Healthy Companies International and the author of Grounded: How Leaders Stay Rooted in an Uncertain World, and other books on leadership and business success. Emma-Kate Swann is a psychologist and executive coach specializing in organizational change, transformation and leadership development.
Today’s landscape of constant change challenges you to increase your awareness: of yourself, of others and of your surroundings.
Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking scientific discoveries demonstrated that to survive, species must adapt to their changing environment. Today’s world, however, changes faster than you – or anyone – can possibly adapt. Your daily experiences disrupt your sense of stability in both your professional and personal life, presenting complexity when you yearn for clarity. These challenges offer opportunities, but many people fail to adapt with sufficient speed to embrace them.
Factors that might slow your adaptation in the midst of this dynamic environment include limited self- awareness, an unwillingness to challenge your biases and assumptions, fear of uncertainty, and lack of ability to see possibilities in a changing landscape.
“The Chinese character for ‘change’ is made of two parts – ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity.’ The dual nature of the character reflects the reality of transformation. It can either be desirable and liberating or scary and demoralizing.”
When you react to change by reverting to old patterns and habits, you damage your chances of survival and miss out on opportunities to prosper in the future. Instead, adapt to your changing world. Make deliberate choices and take action after conscious self-examination – this will help you confront uncertainty with confidence and resilience. Take positive steps to increase your awareness and raise your level of consciousness.
Much as an airplane built of flexible materials to help it adapt to volatile weather conditions, you best adapt to change when you build a flexible core. To thrive in today’s ever-changing environment, adjust your perception of change and increase your comfort with disruption. Your new agile approach will mean following a less predictable path in your work and personal life.
To improve your self-awareness, “go deep”: Stop trying to shield yourself from today’s rapidly changing world.
Rather than delving inside themselves and building resilience to change and uncertainty, some people avoid conflict by putting themselves on autopilot. Yet failing to face challenges and examine your true self reinforces negative emotions, increases your vulnerability and affects your everyday decision-making.
To avoid living this shallow life, pause and then take steps to know yourself, improve your self-awareness and raise your level of consciousness. Assess the person you see in the mirror – all of your traits, positive and negative. Appreciate what makes you unique. Examine your goals and beliefs, and match these to the challenges surrounding you. Spend some time to uncover your true self, and then build the conscious foundation that will serve you in future endeavors.
Cultivate the tools you need for conscious living: Maintain good health to meet the physical demands of your work and personal life. Develop resilience and self-confidence to resist emotional setbacks. Approach the increased complexity of daily life with intellectual curiosity. Remain authentic as you build social relationships and interact with your community. Inspire others in your work life with your energy, passion and willingness to learn. Connect with others by cultivating a generous, grateful and respectful spirit.
“Going deep is one of the most fundamental parts of becoming a more conscious person. The payoff is a healthier, happier and more productive life.”
Your brain’s instincts hinder your ability to adapt quickly to today’s dynamic landscape. Survival instincts help you react to true danger, but they crowd out reason in times of daily stress and conflict. Learn to recognize when and how you react impulsively to uncertainty, and adopt a new approach. Let go of the fears and assumptions that cause you to overreact,and learn to appreciate discomfort as an opportunity for growth. Practice responding positively to adversity – you’ll gain resilience and learn to handle challenges without cracking.
Know that to thrive in today’s ever-changing world, you must satisfy your human needs for security, acceptance and control. Resisting any of these needs or failing to satisfy them from within will raise internal challenges and impede you from thriving in changing times. Resist the attachments that weigh you down, such as perfectionism, the desire for stability or a preoccupation with the past or the future. To better prepare yourself for the peaks and valleys of tomorrow, live for today.
To challenge your assumptions, “think big”: Reshape how you see your world.
“Think big” to expand your view of the world around you, understand the challenges your environment presents and see the possibilities. For example, Wikipedia’s founder Jimmy Wales saw opportunity around him when he envisioned a way for everyday users to contribute information via open-source software in a global space. He helped create a worldwide platform for knowledge sharing. And Netflix’s Reed Hastings turned an annoying $40 late fee notice for overdue videos into a new model for media rental. You can view the circumstances in your environment as hurdles or, like Jimmy Wales and Reed Hastings, as vehicles for change.
Today’s complex world provides almost too much information, too many things to process, too many avenues to follow – especially as the world evolves so fast the human brain can’t keep up. This clouds your mind and affects your ability to concentrate. To find your way, make a practice of viewing both sides of an issue, reading from a wide variety of sources and sharing ideas with people whose backgrounds and mind- sets differ from your own. Engage with problems from different perspectives.
“Discomfort is a catalyst for learning and change…If you see uncomfortable situations as something to be avoided, you are missing out on the opportunities to grow.”
People and organizations need healthy social connections; those with strong networks flourish. Developing strong relationships requires empathy, fairness, clear and honest communication, and respect for others. Leaders at General Motors, for example, transitioned to focusing on the company’s talent network because they understood innovation depends on networking and social interactions among employees. Computer engineer Ruchi Sanghvi recognized the value of networking in addressing complexity; after leaving her post at Facebook, she founded South Park Commons, a learning and sharing community for technology professionals.
Hidden biases influence your daily decisions. When you choose inclusion, you enable yourself to learn from diverse perspectives and adopt an agile mind-set. Musician Paul Simon exemplifies the power of expanding connections and perspectives to embrace change. In 1984, he sought ways to recharge his creativity and found them in the music and culture of South Africa. By incorporating diversity and inclusion in his working practices, Simon created his innovative and memorable Graceland album.
To lose your fear of uncertainty, “get real”: Appreciate – and manage – the factors that smooth or block your pathway to the future.
Like the characters in The Wizard of Oz, you have the power to discover your strengths, transform yourself and shape your future. Begin by comparing your current situation with how you see yourself in the future. Examine the differences between the two, and identify the behavioral shifts you must make to accelerate through the gap.
Making real change requires focussing on the four channels of perceptions, beliefs, emotions and behavior. For each, determine the traits you possess that help or hinder your progress. Do you see yourself and others clearly and without bias? Do you open your mind to new ideas – or allow fear and assumptions to cloud your thinking? Do you permit negative emotions to obscure the landscape and prevent real change? Do you take action to reach positive results?
Use the natural anxiety that uncertainty induces to propel yourself forward and find success in your transformation. Like any emotion, too much or too little anxiety harms you. Yet, when tempered, anxiety can provide the power to respond positively to change.
The characteristics that drive you forward – your accelerators – create energy to navigate dynamic change and achieve success. Discover and apply your unique qualities to your work and personal life. No one formula will work for everyone. Major General Tammy Smith, for example, stayed true to her principles –
quiet confidence, fairness and collaborative leadership – to advance in her career, rather than adopting a more traditional, aggressive style.
“Uncertainty is reality, and anxiety is our natural partner.”
Common accelerators include courage, passion for your work, resilience, optimism and vulnerability. To apply these and other accelerators to your life, use the four channels for change: See yourself honestly, open your thoughts to new ideas, approach the future positively, and act in ways that promote your strengths.
The drivers that hinder your progress – your hijackers – limit your ability to move forward. They lure you away from success and hinder your ability to lead through change. These negative drivers include excess worry, self-criticism, distrust and hypercompetitiveness. Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps, for example, fell victim to his hijackers when he focused on his image of success and strove for perfection in all areas of his life. Although these qualities brought him great success in swimming, they led him down a personally destructive path. To better manage your hijackers and make them work for you, apply the four channels to recognize what holds you back from performing at your best.
To see a wealth of opportunities and impact the world around you, “step up”: Amplify your new consciousness.
The human brain has long relied on instincts for survival, and in today’s world of uncertainty, that part of your brain attempts to protect you from what it regards as danger. Combat those instincts by using your conscious mind: Improve your self-awareness, explore opportunities around you, and employ your accelerators – while reducing your hijackers – to better yourself.
Some people approach their community and social responsibilities cautiously; others accept leadership roles in times of accelerating change: the sales manager who pushes to find new customers, the nursing professional who incorporates a simple practice into the hand-washing routine that helps nurses manage stress. Businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg channeled his influence and resources toward fighting climate change. As these leaders do, bring your purpose to fruition by taking action. Focus on your principles and passions: what you love doing, where your natural talents fit and the changes you’d like to see in the world.
“Conscious people bring their best selves to the table and have the courage to challenge others to be good human beings – with their families, work teams and communities.”
Leaders get results by listening. They navigate change by tuning into the people and experiences
around them. They reach positive outcomes by balancing their work, family and personal life to keep their relationships healthy. They bring out the best in their employees and peers with constructive impatience: giving people the psychological safety they need to challenge themselves,and always looking for opportunities to improve and achieve. And leaders mentor others, inspiring and energizing them to develop their best selves.
Consider the legacy you’ll leave in your professional and personal lives. That legacy won’t take the form of a historical achievement or a record of your accomplishments – it will live on in the people you touch and the choices you make every day: caring for a parent, volunteering in your community or building a stellar team in your organization. The actions you take today with your friends, family and co-workers will shape the way others will remember you.
