“Never waste the opportunity of a good crisis.”
Whatever organization you work in, change is the one thing you can count on. But in the past, change occurred at a predictable and incremental rate. Today, it occurs much more quickly, presenting a challenge for managers. To keep up, managers must learn to be effective change agents. This is difficult because the traditional assumptions, sources and solutions available to managers no longer are valid – or they only bring about a piecemeal response. Therefore, managers must consider, test and apply new methods. High level change methods can help initiate sustainable improvements in your organization or community.
In Western society, we’re been raised to believe that chaos is bad – it’s being out of control. Chaos can be frightening because the outcomes are unpredictable. Yet chaos is home to creativity and innovation. Letting go of what’s known frees us to create something new. Everything today moves at lightning speed. Time is our most precious commodity. To protect our time, we need to learn to work more efficiently and to complete our planned tasks each day. After all, as professional organizer Sandee Corshen says, “You can’t deal with today if yesterday is staring you in the face.”
“Make Peace”
Only you can decide how to deal with your situation. You may decide to make peace by accepting it. Making peace is not surrender – because you take ownership rather than give up. Ask yourself, “Is it worth it to me to live with the difficult aspects of the situation, considering the positive dimensions of this relationship?” If you can accept the status quo, don’t harbor secret fantasies that the situation will change. It won’t. You could acknowledge that nothing is working. If elements of a bad situation are at odds with your core values or if you truly tried to fix a conflict to no avail, it might be time to walk away. “Some situations can’t be fixed…It’s important to know when to call it quits and move on.”
To move ahead, you must have confidence, deliver the results your employer expects and build relationships. You are not born with confidence; you develop it over time and you must work hard to maintain it. Despite myths to the contrary, you can regain confidence if you lose it. Every time you step outside your comfort zone, you increase your confidence, which diminishes when you succumb to fear. Failure often precedes success so don’t be afraid of failure. Develop your confidence by speaking positively, surrounding yourself with upbeat people, being grateful for what you have, and caring about your appearance and your environment.
Increase your efficiency by spending most of your time on your most important tasks. This is sometimes referred to as the 80-20 principle, which means “20% of your activities will yield 80% of your results.” Controlling your inbox will help you accomplish more in less time. Close your email and check it only a few times a day. This will help you resist distractions and focus on what’s important.