Читать книгу How to Survive Change . . . You Didn't Ask for - M. J. Ryan - Страница 18

Knowledge is power.

—Sir Francis Bacon

Fred walked into the kitchen and told Brigitte, “I'm sorry, but we're going to have to sell this house, and if we can't, we're going to lose it. There's nothing else we can do.” Brigitte burst into tears. This couldn't be possible. This was her dream house that they worked so hard for. She had had no idea there was a problem. How could this be happening? She was not going to stand for it. They began to fight, and Fred ended up storming out of the house.

This scenario played out between a couple, but the underlying dynamics happen all the time in businesses large as well as small, particularly in layoffs and restructurings. Some folks have more information than others. The ones in the know have been thinking through options and scenarios for a while. During that time, they may even be telling the other people involved that “everything's fine.” Then they come out with a fait accompli, leaving the people receiving the message to feel broadsided or even deceived.

If you're on the Fred side of the story and haven't announced a change yet, consider giving the people involved a heads-up. That's what the nonprofit my brother-in-law works for did. They said there might be layoffs in three months depending on donations. That allowed my sister and him to prepare, emotionally and financially. When you give the heads-up early on, you also allow for the possibility that others may bring creative ideas to the situation that you hadn't considered. For instance, maybe your staff is willing to take reduced hours or a two-week unpaid vacation so that no one needs to be laid off.

You also create more buy-in when you involve people in thinking the situation through. Maybe Brigitte would have been more willing to give up the house if she'd been part of the conversation earlier on. At the very least, when you announce a required change, be sure to offer a context for your decision—what you thought of and why you came to the conclusions you did—so the others have a chance to get up to speed.

If you are on the Brigitte side, you may have no choice about how or when you receive the news. But you can be aware that understanding the causes and the need for change may help you cope better. You may never agree with the decision, but when you understand what caused the Freds of the world to make the choice they did, it may make acceptance a bit easier.

If this is a change that you've been hit with by someone else, here are some questions you may want to ask in order to understand what's going on as fully as possible. They may seem basic, but given that change can trigger your fight-or-flight response, which cuts down on your capacity to think logically, a cheat sheet to help gather the facts might be useful. In parentheses are possible answers in two scenarios—a layoff and a house loss—to give you a sense of how it might go.

 What's changing? (We are shutting down the business./We need to sell our home and move.)

 What factors led up to the change or what events drove the change? (Customer demand is down due to the economy./The value of our house has dropped below the amount of our mortgage.)

 What specific events/actions are going to occur? (Everyone will be laid off./We need to hire a real estate agent.)

 When will these events/actions occur? (You will be terminated on August 1./ASAP.)

 Who else is impacted by the change? (All forty-five people will be laid off./We need to talk to the kids.)

 How was this conclusion reached and what alternatives were considered? (We tried to get an extension on our line of credit but were turned down./I tried to get a new mortgage, but the drop in value would require us to make a big up-front payment that we cannot afford.)

 What options are available to deal with the impact on me? (You should apply for unemployment insurance./We can find something smaller to rent or we can move in with my mother.)

 What resources are available to help me through the change? (Being a small company, we don't have outplacement services, so you will have to look for help elsewhere./Real estate agents, online sites.)

 How are others in a similar situation dealing with this? (Perhaps you can create a support group with the other employees./Let's call the Gonzaleses; they went through this.)

As for Fred and Brigitte, when Fred realized that he hadn't let his wife in on his reasoning, he went back to square one. He presented the problem and asked her to think with him about a solution. In the end, she came to the same conclusion as he had, and they sold their house. But this time they were on the same page.