Presented by Catherine Smithson, Managing Director

Change Community of Practice Webinars

Being resilient -Self care for change practitioners

• Founded in 1993• Our mission is to develop

change capable people and organisations so they achieve the benefits of change• Prosci Primary Affiliate

Australia and New Zealand since 2006

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Introducing Being Human

Where to find today’s slides and recording

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Being Human Company Linkedin ProfileFollow us!

Being Human Pty Ltd pageLike us!

Slideshare.net/beinghumanaustraliaSlides and recording availableFollow us!

AgendaResilience and the change

practitioner

Looking back at 2017

Top 5 tips

Your experiences?

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Why is resilience so important for the change practitioner?Change jobs are demanding

• Size and scope• Responsibility • Hours and intensity of work• Constantly changing• Influencing people 24/7• Acting as a sounding board

for lots of people

We can be held to a higher standard• Role model for change and

leadership – walk the walk• Can not ever have a bad day at

the office!

Facilitating and supporting other people – emotionally demanding

And how has 2017 contributed - what themes have we seen?

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• Resources have been reduced on large scale programs

• New practitioners coming into the field with limited support from their organisation

• Organisations reworking the Project Management discipline which, in turn, impacts the effectiveness of Change Management

• Shift of conversation to ‘ECM’ (early stages)

On the upside

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• Playing a part in major changes • Once in a lifetime experiences –

changes that matter• Make the impossible, possible• Being part of a first class team• Building lasting relationships• Personal learning• Others?

What is resilience?

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Source: American Psychological Society

It’s the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress…

…. It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences.

Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. People commonly demonstrate resilience.

It is is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in

anyone.

Attributes of resilient people

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• Dr. Cal Crow, the co-founder and Program Director of the Center for Learning Connections, Dr. Crow identified several attributes that are common in resilient people:• Resilient people have a positive image of the future. That is, they maintain a

positive outlook, and envision brighter days ahead.• Resilient people have solid goals, and a desire to achieve those goals• Resilient people are empathetic and compassionate, however, they don't

waste time worrying what others think of them. They maintain healthy relationships, but don't bow to peer pressure.

• Resilient people never think of themselves as victims – they focus their time and energy on changing the things that they have control over.

• How we view adversity and stress strongly affects how we succeed, and this is one of the most important reasons that having a resilient mindset is so important.

• The fact is that we're going to fail from time to time: it's an inevitable part of living that we make mistakes and occasionally fall flat on our faces.

What builds resilience?1. Staying social - Having caring and supportive relationships

within and outside the work, family, community2. Keeping some fuel in the tank3. Becoming physically stronger4. Making realistic plans, setting goals and taking steps to carry

them out – no matter how small5. Focusing on learning6. Monitoring yourself - the capacity to manage strong feelings

and impulses – mindfulness

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Let’s talk about the elephant in the room….resilience in hard times• There will be times when you feel that you’ve had to hold yourself together so

you could focus on dealing with a project or organisational issues or helping everyone else

• When there is more space for you to process events, it’s common to feel the emotions that have been “shut off’ while in almost survival mode

• What do people need in this space? To feel that:• there is support around them• That they are understood and that often these feelings are a normal response to

the experiences they have had• It is normal to need time and space to be allowed to have these feelings and then

work out how to cope with them• To be told that ‘we are resilient’ makes it more difficult to reach out and seek

support, as it sets up an expectation that everyone is coping well, when that may not be the case. Resilient people tap into the support available.

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Tip 1Focus: Don’t try and do everything

• Focus on your priorities• Go back to your assessments and tools and see what you could

be doing at this point• Are you trying to do everything for everyone?• Try: “Yes, I can, but that means I won't be able to do the

following… which one do you want me to focus on?”

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Tip 2: Find a change buddy• Find a colleague you can bounce ideas off • Inside or outside your organisation• Change practitioners are very generous• Most people will provide a sounding board to help you work

through an issue or change • It’s ok to talk about your fears – it helps reduce them!

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Tip 3: Know what helps you• What helps you manage your stress or bring you back to ground or

centre?• Release the negative self talk around making time to decompress.

The pluses of actually doing it are really worth it!• You may need to be in it for the long haul – get match fit

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Tip 4: Pragmatist or perfectionist?

• Sometimes we care too much & expect too much

• As change practitioners there is only so much we can do – some things are out of our scope!

• Beware of your inner perfectionist and what purpose it serves

• A perfect solution is often not possible

• Focus on what you can actually achieve.. lay track for the future. Small steps are still useful.

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Tip 5: Keep your perspective

• We need to live to fight another day - in the end, some changes are just not going to go well

• Do your best and take care of yourself - both mentally and physically

• Take time out to rest and rejuvenate over the break

• Set your work/life boundaries!

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End of year reflection1. What have you done that

you are most proud of?2. Is there anything you would

do differently?3. What is your #1 learning

about the people side of change?

4. What 3 qualities (character, values) do you bring to your “change work”, apart from your technical expertise?

5. How will you replenish during the break?

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Resilience and Optimism ResourcesResilience: ‘Bounce Back From Whatever Life Throws At You’by Dr John Nicholson and Jane Clarke Books and articlesResilience on line Self Assessmenthttp://www.nicholsonmcbride.com/resilience/

Learned Optimism – Martin Seligmanhttps://positivepsychologyprogram.com/learned-optimism/

Get through the tough stuff by Charlotte Blairhttps://www.psychologies.co.uk/self/get-through-the-tough-stuff.html.

American Psychological Associationhttp://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx

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Where to find today’s slides and recording

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Being Human Company Linkedin ProfileFollow us!

Being Human Pty Ltd pageLike us!

Slideshare.net/beinghumanaustraliaSlides and recording availableFollow us!

More info

beinghuman.com.au• Free Prosci Webinars • Free Change Community of Practice Webinars

Prosci• prosci.com• portal.prosci.com

Article• https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/03/02/growing-

resilience-7-strategies-to-become-mentally-stronger/#3be1dd577193

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