These are unprecedented times. Change is hard, and yet, we are all living in a world of constant change. We don’t know what we are going to see when we turn on the TV or look on our phones from one moment to the next. The role of leader continues to be more complex. Many of my clients are struggling as they lead dispersed teams, and navigate the fears, feelings and constant uncertainty. Their roles as leaders will remain challenging.
As a leader, how often have you encountered resistance to change? How will you keep employees engaged and handle fear and uncertainty in the workplace? Even small changes can encounter resistance.
Last year, I went through my own life transition when I decided to launch a new business. When the pandemic hit, I spent three weeks in a state of fear, wondering if I should find a job and questioning if it was the right time to launch a business. Once I moved past the fear, I refocused on the future. Creativity and resilience set in, allowing me to see a necessary pivot. William Bridges calls this the Neutral Zone of the transition. It is also a period where tremendous creativity can happen. As I embraced this new transition, my business began to grow. I’ve learned a great deal about leading and driving change inside organizations, but the past year, full of my own transition, has taught me even more.
We have adapted William Bridges’ Managing in Transitions model to include emotions in each zone:
Bridges says that transitions start with an ending. This is the first phase of the transition in the model. Endings are sometimes hard and come with many feelings including denial, anger, shock, anxiety, avoidance and more.
The second phase, the neutral zone, of transition comes after letting go. This is the time between the old reality and sense of identity and the new one. People are creating new processes and learning what their new roles will be. They are in flux and may feel confusion and distress.
We call the Neutral Zone the “messy middle”.
However, this is also a time of creativity and learning. Many of saw this during the Pandemic when businesses were learning to pivot, and there was a tremendous amount of creativity and innovation happening.
New Beginnings involve moving through to new understandings and attitudes. Beginnings are marked by a release of energy in a new direction – they are an expression of a fresh identity. Once we are at the top of the curve, we feel energized. We feel a renewed sense of trust. We have relief.
The goal as leaders is to help first to identify where we are on the curve, and then to identify our team on the curve. Understanding that we all show up differently.
The challenge for leaders is to manage both organizational change and the psychological reorientation that accompany it. Often, leaders focus too much on the change itself and not enough on the human side—the psychological and emotional process people go through. Transition requires helping people let go of the past and move forward into the unknown. Changes may involve workforce reductions, pay cuts, furloughs, or returning to work during COVID. For these shifts to succeed, individuals and organizations need to acknowledge the change and embrace the transition. Often, it’s not the change people ordinarily resist, but the transition process itself.
Letting go of the past is difficult for many employees. This is saying good-bye to the way things used to be; it is concern about what is being lost; concern about what they have to let go of. As we work with organizations, it is not uncommon to hear employees complaining about changes that happened months or even years ago. Holding on to resentments from the past prevents employees from creating the future.
It will be some time before things “return to normal.” Employees may struggle to let go of the past and may feel resentment or anxiety about new ways of working. By helping leaders reduce anxiety, fear, confusion, and resentment, employees are more likely to engage and move forward with resilience. Just as we plan for the mechanics of change, we must also plan for the transitions that come with it.
Here are some steps for transitions that we’ve found work best inside organizations:
Step One: Communicate
- Listen to the positives and the negatives.
- Allow people to express themselves.
- Make sure to communicate context in your messaging.
Step Two: Establish Trust
- Clarify what is ending for whom.
- Act as a role model.
- Identify who may resist and why, and consider how to address it.
Step Three: Engage
- Engage teams in the process. Allow them to have input either in “what” will change or “how” it will be implemented.
- Involve key individuals who need to support the changes.
Step Four: Recognize Impact
- Understand what is ending for whom.
- Identify impact on people, resources and workloads
- Assess where there will be any resistance and plan to minimize.
Step Five: Honor the past
- Don’t skip this important step. Seek to understand the reasons for resistance.
- Be open to hearing stories and allow space to honor past accomplishments.
- Recognize the organization’s journey as a story—acknowledging the close of one chapter and the start of another.
Step Six: Accept Different Responses to Change
- Validate everyone’s individual experiences.
- Don’t expect others to react as you would.
- If you thrive in change, be mindful and patient with those who may struggle.
- Maintain a coaching mindset, fostering a safe environment for openness and honesty.
In times of uncertainty, leaders must rise to the challenge of guiding their teams through both the external and internal aspects of change. By focusing on the both the change and transition, as well as staying aware of their own internal responses to transitions, leaders can support their teams in adapting with resilience. This approach not only fosters smoother transitions but also cultivates a culture of adaptability and empathy in the face of ongoing change.
Melanie is the Founder & CEO of Radical Ignition, a firm dedicated to developing 
leaders and their teams. Drawing on 30 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, she has coached hundreds of executives and teams from six continents across a range of industries, from startups to family-owned businesses, mid-market companies, and Fortune 50 firms. She works with leaders from brands such as Fresenius Medical Care, CVS Health, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Accenture, Amdocs, Checkpoint, Cedar, and Airtable.
Her coaching philosophy revolves around fostering a thought-provoking and creative partnership with her clients. She believes in empowering clients to unlock their full potential by challenging conventional thinking and encouraging innovative problem-solving.
She is a certified executive coach through the Hudson Institute in Santa Barbara and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). She also serves on the Boards for the Seattle Hudson Coach Community and the ICF Chapter for Washington State.
