Managing Change | Leila’s House of Corrections

No matter how well you plan and how much you anticipate things changing, change itself is always a moving target. And if you struggle with change, it probably shows to your team, manager, and clients. It s never too late to embrace change, so   Come on managers, it s time to   learn to manage change.

Whether we are at home or the office, we are all creatures of habit. We accomplish tasks using tried and true methods, and we expect predictable results. Then, when things change, we tend to get a bit (or maybe more than a bit) pushed out of shape. Well, as managers we have the additional challenge of managing or leading change for our teams. Elizabeth Kuebler Ross s work on grieving and tragedy has been adapted and brought into the workforce as the SARA model.

Step 1: S Stands for Shock.

The first step in managing change is understanding that shock or surprise is acceptable and expected. Your company is bought by a competitor, you need to lay someone off, your pet project got yanked off your plate by a rival peer, or your top performer just quit, wow! It is OK to be shocked or surprised.

Step 2: A Stands for Anger.

After the S in shock, comes the A in anger. Why did this happen?! This isn t right! I m working really hard, and this isn t fair! I m really angry!

Step 3: R Stands for Recognition.

After the S in shock and the A in anger, comes the R in recognition. This is when you begin to say to yourself,  OK, I recognize a change has occurred.  You begin to see a bit more clearly now that your emotions are out of the way.

Step 4: A Stands for Acceptance.

After the S in shock, the A in anger, and the R in recognition, comes the A in acceptance.

To get to acceptance, to when you can say,  OK, I can and will accept this change,  you need to experience the first 3 steps. There are no shortcuts. Remember that your direct reports have to do the same thing. They don t get to acceptance automatically either! Avoid the mistake too many managers make when a change is announced: they assume their teams get past shock, anger, and recognition almost instantly. They move forward implementing a change and often leave people behind--people are who still in stock or still angry.

One final thought on managing change: communicate more than you want to. Ask more questions, ask for more input, share more thoughts than you think you need to about the change. Your team members will never accuse you of over-communicating in regards to a big change.