Change at work is inevitable. Like the tide, it cannot be held back and you don’t want to be the company’s ‘Canute’ trying to resist. An organisation constantly evolves as it adapts to changing client demands, rapid-paced technological changes and an ever-changing competitive market.

According to 2018 research from the Manpower Group, 74 per cent of UK businesses have undergone a restructure in the past five years.

And those are just the planned organisational changes that demand flexibility. There is also the unforeseen. Last-minute deadlines, technological disasters such as third-party software crashes on which you rely. And then there are the smaller irritations such as ‘computer can’t find printer.’ Nothing more irritating. You speak out loud to your computer; ‘I can find the printer, it’s right there next to you on the desk.’ Your blood pressure rises and then you realise you haven’t actually switched the printer on! Of course, there’s an on switch. And calm!

The flexible manager, team member or boss are prized within organisations. They stabilise a crisis. They adapt to changing demand and reset objectives. They stay calm and radiate a positivity which in itself has an all-round effect.

Darwin said it best; “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is most adaptable to change.” 

Many species adapt to their environment and thrive. If they don’t; demise is inevitable. In the workplace adaptability is a skill that needs focussed practice if it is not innate. Employers crave the nimble colleague because everything is always shifting. At extremes, flexibility can be the difference between life and death. Think how NASA mission controllers had to build a new oxygen system out of replica parts mirroring exactly what Jim Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise had in their failing Apollo 13 rocket. Their successful ability to accept the situation, work fast and within constraints not of their choosing brought the crew and their craft safely back to earth. 

In a safer work environment, colleagues that can think differently, accept the situation as it is and not how they would like it to be, embrace a vision of the future and bring colleagues with them to help transition a company through difficult times. Conversely, the ‘we’ve always done it this way’ thinker will stay where they are and ultimately sink the company and therefore their own selves.

1. Your Thought Process Matters

Listing the reasons why the way things were and have always been is not forward-facing. It doesn’t push anything forward. Let go of what was and embrace what needs to happen now. This simple process of ‘letting go’ opens the door to creativity and you become flooded by the endless creative possibility that lie in an unwritten future. Sounds grand? Perhaps. The point stands, what you do next is up to you. The past is done and if it hasn’t worked or isn’t working, let go of it and craft something that does.

Remember that by changing nothing, nothing changes.

2. Change is an opportunity

Adapting your thinking to embracing change increases creativity and the opportunity for increased learning. Melissa Cory; co-founder of the Women in Leadership Conference states;  “Those who remain flexible and have the opportunity to adapt their thinking and behaviour to circumstances possess an important skill. Turning moments of change into opportunity, however, means we need to be ready to embrace change, create a network that supports us and tools that help us navigate this change.”

This will involve taking some risks because the future is by its nature untried. The risk may even be making a suggestion of doing things a different way in a meeting when you can see the team may be stuck. Running headlong into risk is not wise but neither is running from it. Small steps can alleviate the pain. Gather opinion from colleagues, discuss your different approaches. State out loud the need to be flexible is key and work to bring people with you.

3. Stay Calm and Plan Ahead

It’s as if the certain ground you were walking on shifts. Deadlines that were well-planned now hurtle towards you. Client demands increase. Inevitably, anxiety rises. Breath. Stay calm. Focus on what can and cannot be achieved. What is and is not the priority. Re-do the plans accordingly and make sure these are disseminated around the team.

This is the key part of planning ahead and then being able to adapt the plan. Developing a plan and then having to adjust it does not negate the plan in the first place. It still gives you the boundaried structure of how to move forward and that can be containing. 

4. An Open Mind Is Key

All of the above depends on an open mind. Being able to look at the situation from a different perspective is the key to flexibility. It is possible that you might be too close to a project to do that yourself. If so, surround yourself with different opinions that might challenge your own. Actively listen to them. Don’t shoot them down. Challenge them with critical thinking in an environment where no idea is a bad one. This is the fertile ground from which a solution will emerge. The closed mind will not allow that to develop.

Elliot is a UKCP Psychotherapist and co-founder of The Grove Practice At Work, an organization committed to bringing good mental health to the workplace – tgpatwork.com. He is co-lead TGP Onsite Executive Coach, Writer and Mental Health Campaigner. Elliot has worked for 20 years leading teams in entertainment and show business and is a leading thinker in management practices that support good mental health at work.

If you are interested in how TGP Coaching can help your managers and teams with their mental health then please download our brochure here or get in touch with us at [email protected].