Video Transcript: Connecting the Past to the Future
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with this week’s “Let’s Get Growing” tip…where I help you take charge of your plans and accelerate your initiatives as you head into the end of this year.
So here are we now with the pandemic and shelter in place – heading into month 7! Did you ever imagine when this began last March that we’d still be in this mode 7+ months later? I am hearing from many of you about the fatigue and weariness that is setting in, that people want to know when “this” will end, that they want things to go back to “normal” – whatever that means to them.
I think we all recognize that the “normal” we were living in before will never return. It is part of change…and I can tell you that this change we are experiencing is not like any change we have experienced in the past. All change is difficult, but this change is particularly challenging because it is broad, structural, and ever-shifting – and much of it is likely permanent.
So how do you help your teams adapt to permanent changes in how they work, and to also see this as a time of possibility?
We know from neuroscience that our brains default to the negative when we are anxious, fearful, and uncertain. We also know that part of the antidote to this negative, fearful state is to arouse positive emotions in others, to activate the part of our brains that promote creativity, problem-solving, and inspiration. And most importantly – to see what is possible.
There are many ways to do this as we’ve outlined in previous tips. So how do you create a bridge between these two differing POVs: going back to “normal” vs. embracing permanent change?
Here’s my Get Growing tip:
When people are going thru major change, they need to have a connection point from the past to where you need them to go. Like reminding them of the successes you’ve had as a team in the past, of the core values and strengths of the organization that will see them through the change. You are reaching back to highlight what’s good about the past..and what will be sustained even as you are creating a new story about the future.
That’s the critical through-line they need to see what’s possible.
That’s my “Get Growing” tip of the week. I’ll see you next Monday… remember to see this time as an enabler, not a liability or a time to “pause”, waiting for certainty to return.
Take care of yourself!