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Engaging Change: Six Steps for Surviving and Thriving

Change is the only thing we can count on in this global economy with continuous technology updates. Those of us who can work through our resistance and learn to adapt quickly have the advantage. A recent article in Management.com listed six steps.

1. Stay Involved: No matter what position we have in our companies, from top management to newly hired graduate, how we deal with change will affect our relationships, communication and ultimately our performance. It is important to stay engaged rather than to withdraw.

2. Keep an Eye on the Big Picture: How is the change affecting all levels of the organization? The workforce has changing demographics with the aging boomers, expanding global markets, improving technology, tighter budgets, and increasingly knowledgeable consumers. Staying up to date in our own industries is important by reading professionals journals and being active in industry associations. The internet is also an efficient way to stay updated.

3. Talk and Listen: Have conversations with colleagues and those outside your departments regularly to exchange ideas and hear different perspectives.

4 Look for Ways to Be of Value: Learn how to identify and solve problems. Know your strengths and weaknesses and how you can exploit those for the benefit of the organization.

5. Be Flexible: Learn to adapt quickly to new work realities.

6 Learn From Your Network: Use your network to hear how others are adapting to change and incorporate some of their ideas.

How you learn to adapt to change will have a significant impact on your job performance. Monitor your behavior and evaluate your responsiveness. This alone can expand or detour your career.

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About the Author:

Deborah Brown (Debbie) founded Atlanta based D&B Consulting, Inc. in 1993 to provide executive career and leadership coaching, and executive career transitions and outplacement services to organizations and individuals. She is a Master Practitioner of the MBTI personality assessment and a Certified Social + Emotional Intelligence Coach® through the Institute of Social + Emotional Intelligence® of Denver, Colorado. Debbie earned the SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) certification.