Wheeeee! September felt like getting sucked into a vortex. Then somehow October feels like everyone got started without me. Nowadays we have to roll with the punches of change and keeping moving, even when we feel behind the eight-ball. Many of my clients are in acquisition or re-org mode, where this is especially true. How do you keep your cool, stay effective or even thrive, when change has reached chaos levels?
Be kind to yourself and others: Certainty is a basic human need. Uncertainty can bring out the worst in us. Give your colleagues the benefit of the doubt, acknowledge good intention and forgive yourself for occasionally not being your best.
Revisit your strengths: It’s normal to want to lay low during an acquisition. A better strategy is to remember what you do best and the impact it has. Then, seek out opportunities to use your strengths to help the cause. You will automatically build relationships that can help you down the road.
Have a plan: Like getting life insurance, it’s good to plan for the worst so you can get it off your mind. But remember, even if you don’t stay at your organization, they hired you and you performed because of who you are and what you bring. That stays with you either way.
Listen selectively: The rumor mill can strike fear in the best of us and, importantly, distract us from being productive. Get real information from one or more outside mentors and read the news on what your company and industry are facing.
Take extra time for self-care: It’s counterintuitive, but when we feel like things are not moving forward or fast enough, we are often the most depleted. Make sure you are doing your exercise, meditating if that’s what you do, eating well and seeing friends.
It is possible to build something even in chaos. Take it one step at a time.
Claire