We're all going through times of change, so we thought we'd share some tips on how to be more agile this year in the workplace.
1. Increase your resilience
Deepening your personal social networks and protecting time for regular exercise are key components of building psychological resilience to stress. Regular exercise drives our cognitive abilities and generally brings more positivity into the office. Make time for the things that really matter.
Tip: Protect your lunch breaks to either connect with a friend or go for walk every day.
2. Get perspective
Find time to reflect and see the big picture. Our priorities and environments are constantly changing, so keeping an eye on your vision will help put things in perspective. This may require distancing yourself from the daily tasks, distractions and social media message alerts. It can feel overwhelming at times, but by readjusting your priorities and plans you can stay ahead.
Tip: Block an hour in your calendar every Monday morning for your "big picture" time, ideally somewhere you can focus without distractions. Ask your colleagues to respect this time.
3. Anticipate change
Though change is likely to be gradual, it is likely to affect every one of us in the next months to years. Anticipating changes that are likely to affect the way you work and how you can best prepare for it will help you adapt. It's human nature to fear the unknown and change can be unsettling. The art to being open to change is to see opportunity rather than risk. Focus on embracing the positive outcomes of change so that when the time comes you’ll be better equipped to deal with it.
Tip: Read more on the fundamentals of change management if you haven't yet. Or indeed, find time to talk to your supervisor about change that is likely to affect you and what the benefits will be in the long term.
4. Communicate concisely
We all know that communication is key to working effectively together. With increased globalised teams and changing demographics, it has become even more challenging yet. Be sure to invest resources into improving your own and your teams’ communication skills as well as internal communication processes. During times of change, miscommunication and misunderstanding can easily create tension and demotivate teams. Improving internal communication within and between teams will have benefits that can be felt immediately.
Tip: Ask for feedback regularly and pro-actively on how you can improve the way you communicate with your teams or peers.
5. Support others
Giving and receiving feedback, having authentic conversations and building trust with your peers and colleagues will help to promote communication and catch any misunderstandings early. Ensuring that information is understood correctly and is not withheld from those that may be affected by change is crucial to motivating a team. Everyone has a part to play in creating engaged teams so do what you can to support and motivate others.
Tip: Reassure any colleagues that show resistance to change – often it can be resolved with better transparency of information and addressing concerns.
To find out more on how we can best support you, click here to browse the training courses we offer or get in touch with our team.
On behalf of the fts global team, we wish you a great start to the new year!