A couple of things have happened recently which have made me think about how we show up for others and ourselves.
Image: cottonbro, pexels
I recently met up with an old colleague from way back in my career. When I first decided to take on some freelance work after leaving a corporate career twenty years, it was because this colleague had referred me when a suitable opportunity came up. They then introduced me to another colleague for another piece of work. These were the very first steps on my journey to setting up on my own. I remain incredibly grateful for how they helped me.
My second insight came from my experience of delivering a talk to a client team about leading through change.
As part of this, I included a walkthrough of the change curve. This was developed from the Kübler-Ross model, created by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross as part of her research into near-dying and grief. Although grief and change are never linear, it’s a very helpful way to explain some of the emotional steps we can go through in our individual journeys through change and transition.
I have walked through this curve many, many times in a host of different situations and have learned to begin any of these talks by mentioning that I will be covering subjects that touch on grief so people can opt out if they wish.
Nothing happened in the session, but afterwards, I was approached by one of the delegates. They were going through their own 5 stages and seeing the change curve had helped them realise where they were and what they’d already been through. It helped them make sense of their emotional responses. But most importantly, they recognised that they now needed some support to help them move forward.
This really made me think about how often we share things, make introductions, offer insights, lend an ear or give our time without realising the positive impact we’re having on others. In some cases, what feel like small things to us can be game-changers for others.
As we move forward through some pretty uncertain times over the coming months, I’m holding onto these positives. I’ve made a commitment to myself to notice and note when these happen. So, when I get angry, sad or despairing of whatever change is going on around me, I’m reminded of the good that’s out there.
If a chat about how change or uncertainty might be impacting your wellbeing, and especially in the workplace, let’s chat.