During this first half of the year, the world has faced a global transition that is indeed unprecedented. Many have been researching to learn more about how to go through a change process. Others are trying to develop additional change management skills in general.
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, has been quoted as saying, “change is the only constant in life.” If you’d like to philosophize with me a little here, we can say that change is very much associated with uncertainty. Change is the act or instance of making or becoming different. So, if that is the definition of change, what is precisely so uncertain about becoming or making different?
What happens in transitions is that the end result of the change is usually unclear. You don’t exactly know what to expect at the end. Even if you kind of know how it will look like, you are not entirely sure how things will really land in the end. Will you like it? Not like it? Will you be judged? Will you face peril?
The transition dimension of expectations tells us how our first reactions will be. If you expect it to be a good chance or something you’ve been wanting, you will enter the transition with a positive mindset. You will face it with a certain level of excitement. “I’m getting married” or “I am having my first baby” or “I am becoming a manager for the first time.” However, if you expect the change to be something threatening, you will enter it with a mindset of dread and fear. “I lost my job” or “my father is sick” or “I’m getting a divorce.”
Today, I wanted to share with you a little bit about the phases of any transition and then some other more advanced concepts on transition. Whether a change is initiated by self or by other parties or whether it is something you’ve been wanting or something you’ve been dreading, every one facing a transition goes through 4 stages.
The four general stages are denial, resistance, exploration, and settling in.
1 – Denial
As soon as you learn something is going to change, you go through a denial phase. Of course, if the change is something you see with fear, the denial will be more prominent. But even if it is something you’ve been wanting, you still will face some sort of denial. “is this really happening?” or “I can’t believe this is happening to me” or “it’s too good to be true.”
It is prevalent in this phase for introverts to withdraw and extroverts to look for other people to talk to. Very often, people question the change, question values, question purpose. Feelings of disbelief and numbness are pervasive in the process. Sometimes, all these feelings can be so overwhelming that individuals try to find ways to scape them so that they can cope and maintain functionality. Over-eating, over-drinking, TV binge-watching, amongst others, are usual scape routes people use in this phase.
In Energy Leadership™ philosophy, this phase is very much associated with level 1 Energy, with flares of level 2 Energy. So it’s natural that when facing this stage in the change process, individuals tend to withdraw, catastrophize scenarios, procrastinate, and avoid taking any actions.
2 – Transition Resistance
The natural progression of a transition is to move to a resistance stage. In this stage, there is a lot of associated stress, even when the change is supposedly good. Here, there is a lot of negativism and pessimism involved. Looking at the negative side of things is a way of resisting it.
The main focus in this phase is on personal impact. There is a lot of chatter going on in the minds of most individuals in this phase, especially in the early stages. For example, some of the chatter could be, “when I get married, my mom will be all alone at the house, and I will feel bad about it” or “now that I was promoted, I will have to learn a bunch of new things, and I might not do any of them well” or “if my father ends up dying, I cannot go on without him” or “in my age, I will never find another job.”
Usually, individuals going through this stage express a lot of anger, conflict, and anxiety as a way to vent all these feelings and quiet the chatter. And because these are all draining emotions and thoughts, significantly associated with stress, people living in this phase see productivity take a deep dip. You either see them doing less or with less quality and focus.
In Energy Leadership™ philosophy, this phase is very much associated with level 1 and 2 Energy, quickly alternating between both. It can be a very catabolic and destructive period. Many individuals self-sabotage, argue frequently and destroy relationships.
What works well often is putting safety-net plans in place, before going through this phase. Support groups, executive or personal coaches, strategy plans, etc. usually help people use excessive energy towards productive outcomes during this phase.
3 – Exploration
Once most of the resistance is let go, individuals going through transitions often slip into an exploration phase. They start experimenting and taking risks with small steps towards a more structured goal. They seek information, research on possible solutions, discuss new ideas, and try to find ways to reduce stress related to the transition.
Because the exploration phase is associated with small steps and some progress, most people tend to start feeling a little bit more confident, and excitement could show up, still mixed with some fear and uncertainty.
In Energy Leadership™ philosophy, this phase has a lot of alternating levels 3 and 5 energy, with flares of 1 and 2. People want to seek the opportunities and new ideas, but some times end up settling with the good enough just so that they can move on. But in any case, it’s a more anabolic, constructive phase, where people try to find ways to move forward more positively. It’s important to note that when they get here, they are more open to the change, although not fully accepting it.
4 – Settling In
Settling in involves a lot of acceptance of a situation. While in the previous phase, people are letting go of resistance, in this period, people are accepting facts as is and are trying to make the best out of it. Usually, people seek to put together plans, resources, time, and money toward a firm goal or vision, based on their expectations for the transition. The main focus in this stage is the future and what can be done right now to make things work for them.
When individuals are in the settling-in phase, they are usually more committed toward the change and are actively and proactively working towards making things happen. That is a very productive and anabolic phase, where things get done, and there is usually a neutral or even positive feeling about it. The whole transition idea is not that scary anymore, and usually, it coincides with the change being very close to a stability perception.
In Energy Leadership™ philosophy, this phase has a lot of alternating levels 3 and 5 energy again, but mostly you start using your regular Energetic Profile again. And what makes it so different from the previous stage is that you are using the Energy levels with more awareness. In other words, there is more purpose in every action with the transition vision in mind.
Why knowing the 4 stages of transition matters?
To put things simply, it matters because by knowing what is going on in people’s minds and hearts during a transition, you can help them (or help yourself) go through this period in a more smoothly and less stressful way. In other words, you can be a better facilitator of the process, or change agent, especially if you are a leader who wants to ensure greater productivity and a positive attitude amongst a team or group of people.
Transitions overlap
Anyone can write about transitions and explain how important it is to be a good transition facilitator. What you won’t see around so much is someone explaining to you about transitions overlap.
Transition overlap is when someone is going through a transition, and then another change comes on top of the first one. Overlaps can become more complex to deal with, depending on how many changes are overlapping.
When people are faced with transitions overlap, they tend to regress to early phases and be especially stuck in the Resistance phase in all transitions they are going through. I’ve seen it often happen with expatriates that were almost “settled in” with the fact that they changed countries, and all of a sudden, other changes also happened. They got divorced, or changed jobs, or changed states, and so on. They regress entirely to a spirit of conflict and resistance, in regards to everything. The food that was finally “ok” becomes awful again, and the weather sucks, and people are not friendly, etc.
Going back to the resistance phase when there is a transition overlap is normal. Feeling overwhelmed is normal. Feeling fearful is normal. You are not an E.T. if you are going through this.
The reason why I am bringing transitions overlap concept to your attention today is that many U.S. states and countries are “reopening” this week (or soon), after a long lockdown period. Many people that were finally getting used to the new environment of working from home are now facing fears of going back to a crowded office or workspace. A new transition is happening, before the last one being over.
This is an alert to the fact that we will all see a lot of people regressing to resistance and fear in many aspects of their lives. If you are a leader of any kind – either in a corporation or a leader in your home – be aware that people will be thrown off their balance again.
Knowing this upfront, don’t let productivity and focus around you dip again. Focus on what you have control over, work on a plan, and help people go through the resistance phase as best as you can.
A few weeks back, I wrote about some change management tips for the Coronavirus situation. Review that post, if you want, to draw some ideas on how to deal with this new transition. Make sure to have a support group. Make sure to look for professional help if you need assistance in building a plan. Make sure you surround yourself with a positive attitude and positive people. Some things are under your control. Focus on those.
You are wiser than you think. Trust yourself, trust your gut, and move forward. You are already doing your best by doing your homework and reading material like this one. Be confident that you can get through this. And if not, you can always reach out there: extraordinary professionals are willing to help. Take advantage.
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