What are some effective strategies for managing change and uncertainty in your career?

Even the best-planned careers can go through difficult times. What matters is how you react to it. While it may be easy to say but hard to do, you have to view periods of uncertainty and stressful times as learning opportunities. You can't always escape by running away. Sometimes you have to stay and deal with the problem. I always emphasize the importance of career cushioning. If you're naturally prone to anxiety, no matter how hard you try, you can't convince yourself to ease through times of uncertainty. The only way is to know you have an "airbag". If you know you have an "escape area" when things go wrong, stress won't get to you.

A positive mindset is critical but can be hard to focus on in tough times. A worthwhile exercise is to write down everything that went well in the past year- the things that you are proud of, and focus on those when you are talking to others, talking about yourself and looking for your next opportunity. This keeps you focused on what you can do rather than what you can’t or didn’t or should have!

Embracing a growth mindset is transformative. While initially challenging, the journey of personal development yields remarkable rewards. It enables us to perceive opportunities within challenges, fostering growth and resilience. Discipline cultivates this resilience, empowering us to confront failures. Feedback serves as a gauge of progress, reinforcing our journey. Flexibility, adaptability, and continual reflection are essential for sustained growth and learning.

A great way to become immune to the ups and downs of the external environment and shifting expectations is to take charge of your own career and positioning from day 1. As organization development consultants (internal and external) we never really have a solid place on the org chart which is a good thing because it allows us to control how we position ourselves with clients and leverage our expertise. Times of shifting demands, expectations and environments are PERFECT opportunities to offer your availability to senior leaders to guide them through these complex challenges. Key thing to remember: the external environment doesn't dictate your opportunities or define your value.

Completely agree with Maura on the challenge of keeping in a positive mindset! Often times emotions trigger our fight/flight response and emotions cloud our thinking. I have found when you have good self awareness, can recognize you are emotional, if you can name and claim the emotion by pausing in the moment - that helps. It also helps to inhale deeply and take a breath, reflect and think of at least 3 things you are grateful for, say them to yourself. By the time you get to number 3 you’ll have flipped the switch in your brain so you can get back to that positive place.

During times of adversity, aligning my actions to purpose (aka, "why" am I doing the things I'm doing?) helps me stay focused on future positive outcomes; the eventual light at the end of the tunnel.

We should not underestimate the importance of supportive relationships. They are a vital aspect of resilience that comes with community. When you suffer a setback for personal or professional reasons, you need a network that can uplift you and support you. The best time to build this network is now and every day, in the various interactions that create and maintain relationships with colleagues, family, friends, and connections.

When encountering the inevitable challenges that life/work presents, it is imperative to know your non negotiables prior to facing adversity. Keep the course to what is True and do not be led by your feelings as feelings can lead to questionable decisions. While situations change, your value as a person does not change and your capabilities did not lessen due to a change in circumstances. Finally, do not isolate yourself as you are not the only one to encounter adversity and it is beneficial to stay connected to to people that value you as a person.

Resilience is a crucial skill as it keeps us focused and persistent on the goal ahead. Focus on your values, what's important to you and why you want this goal. Have a reward system set up as you reach each milestone, take breaks and don't forget to have fun on your leisure time!

"Every experience brings joy or learning." - A sentiment often stated by my mother in my earlier years and one I hear myself parroting to my team. Having the resilient ability to accept an event, decouple and/or recognize the emotion tied with it and quickly adjust your approach based on your assessment of why and how something happened is a critical component to any success -whether it be for an individual, team or organization. We all will face failure - it's how we handle and react to those events that set us apart.

This is key to growth. Find someone at work to keep it real and tell it like it is. Build your internal board and network because if you can get advice on how you can improve how you are showing up and what your brand is than that truly is a gift!

Reality is all perception. What you feel is good - your performance, a new idea, a meeting with a client- may not be the same, shared experience with others. Crowd sourcing not only validates your perception but also confirms other's (1) level of adoption, and (2) primary areas of interest; Both of which is needed to make progress and ultimately an impact

One approach is to be curious and to constantly play devils advocate. Put yourself in others people shoes. Everyone has a different perspective and there value in the benefit of a doubt.

This, to me, is the most difficult factor as too often we fall in love with our idea. The emotional connection to an original idea is raw and real. Having a growth mindset means understanding that while something may begin as your idea, it is bigger than you - it has potential to make a greater impact - if you allow it. Maintaining flexibility, or rather "openness", to alternative ways to progress a concept maintains a clear focus towards your primary goal - maximum impact/benefit. If we're open to suggestions (ties to previous section) we enable a sense of collaborative ownership and see an idea really take off - now with more sponsorship than before.

Plan your work. Work your plan. And your plan will work. Everything starts with a strategy, leads to an approach, and often fails at the point of transitioning said strategy into an workable plan. Too often people fall into the trap of trying to boil the ocean through the false lens of "urgency" rather than taking a breath to consider all the stepping stones, angles, impacts and needs to consider to realize an idea. Urgency is good - it's what drives action, but what controls the chaos is the mitigation plan; a plan that gives yourself, or in other cases your team or even your organization visibility, understanding, confidence and clear actions on what is needed to be successful.

I remain focused on post traumatic growth and positive but realistic mental health activities. I have learned to articulate my pain points, ask for help, and most importantly to REST. It's a commandment (rest is) not a suggestion!