Anxiety – the undetected killer of our motivation to embrace change

Think of a number between one and ten, representing the likelihood that being on the receiving end of a proposed change may induce anxiety in those affected. And now think of a number that represents how often your organisation talks about and deals with anxiety. Hold on those numbers for just a moment.

Successfully implemented change is the jewel in the crown of competitive advantage. The path to such a glittering and multi-faceted prize is an epic journey fraught with risk. And all too often, it is one that will encounter an invisible web of anxiety that can only be disarmed by first illuminating it, and then eliminating its root causes.

There are two ways to do this:

Accept that anxiety is unavoidable, and deal with it reactively on a case-by-case basis every time change is implemented.

Accept that change is unavoidable, and deal with the resulting anxiety proactively by arming employees with the tools and techniques to permanently bolster their resilience.

Ok, let’s go back to those scores. Unfortunately, given the likelihood your first number (the extent to which change causes anxiety) is higher than your second number (the extent to which you deal with anxiety caused by change), it is possible that your organisation may not even be doing a), let alone b).

Anxiety flourishes when the future is uncertain – for example when change is not well defined or well communicated. It’s ironic then that so often anxiety itself is not well defined or well communicated. Anxiety is the undetected killer of people’s motivation to embrace change (and that’s the reason it sits at the very bottom of the Mastering Change model). So why not break the silence? Think about defining the levels and causes of anxiety in your organisation, and then giving your people the training not just to cope, but to thrive on uncertainty. Because then, whilst your competitors are still trying to figure out why their surefire winner of a change programme isn’t making progress, the prize will be yours for the taking.