“The Only Constant in Life is Change”.
It’s not from me. It’s from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. And no, I’m no expert at ancient Greek philosophy, but I, like so many of us, have certainly had the privilege (and pain) to learn about this adage the hard way. As in, when change strikes when you least expect. Or when crisis hits, and it seems life may never return to “normal”, as in this pandemic we’re currently experiencing.
There is so much talk about returning to “normal”, to our “normal” family and friends, our “normal” schools, jobs and businesses, to our “normal” way of doing things… Yet, we’re all changing, growing and adapting through this, and so are our families, friends, institutions, businesses, and our society as a whole…Nothing will be quite “normal” after this, and nothing really has been “normal” about our lives as people, as working women and moms, for the simple reason that change has always been present…Family change, moves, relocations, job losses, job gains, bankruptcy, divorce, new marriage, new baby, new job, new business: change has always been the only constant…
A 2009 survey by Mc Kinsey & Co.of over 800 women serving as global business leaders showed that leadership behaviors of women leaders prove critical in navigating through a global economic crisis. Additionally, the survey also revealed that companies with at least three female executives achieve a higher score on key organizational dimensions. This goes to demonstrate that when it comes to handling change and thriving through crisis, women are certainly well-equipped both personally and professionally.
However, it can be easy for many of us, as working women and moms, to doubt our own ability to navigate change and effectively handle times of crisis, despite the undeniable evidence to the contrary. Some of the tips below may help not just in reminding ourselves of our incredible resilience, adaptability and agility, but also as guideposts to keep cultivating these:
- Consider the BIG picture
I’ve learnt when the going gets tough, and the solutions are not readily available, to stay out of the weeds and details of situations, whether personally or professionally. I used to be stuck on details and be lost, instead of looking at the whole picture and see helpful patterns. If you just look at the soccer ball during the game, you easily get lost. When you start looking at the players’ patterns, you can see the entire game.
What are the patterns you can see in your situation? What are they teaching you personally and professionally? Are you seeing patterns repeating themselves, and what can you do about it?
- Ask different questions
One of the first skills I learnt as a brand new associate auditor straight out of school was to ask the right questions. Not any questions, but the right questions. In situations when the solutions are not clear, like in this crisis, you may want to ask different questions that open up different, wider possibilities.
Questions like: “What seems possible today?”, “What can I learn here?”, “What did I not expect and what can I do with that?”
- Experiment and learn
In a situation of crisis, it’s easy to just pinpoint a goal and try to get there. When this all started, my initial goal was to try and keep everything as “normal” as possible until the crisis ended. Needless to say, that didn’t work…Instead I had to look at unconventional and unexpected places that showed some promise or at least a glimmer of hope, like using technology to teach, or talking to my kids differently, or creating new rituals in my couple so we didn’t kill each other before the virus got to us (I know, that’s terrible humor)…
As working women and moms, we’re not just wired to survive times of crisis and change, but to thrive and rise through them…
Let’s keep rising!
Take care,
The Corporate Sis.
