According to the World Health Organization, a pandemic is declared when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations. March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and will forever change our lives.
As a project manager, you are a leader and you have great influence over how to manage change with systems and iterations. Yet when it comes to a team, the human element makes things trickier. Uncertainty breeds fear. Change impacts lives, daily norms and levels of comfort – which presents the prospect of resistance. Are you up to the task?
Change is difficult, especially when it involves people, beliefs and established behavior patterns. If a change becomes messy and painful due to resistance from team members, how you demonstrate growth will ultimately prove to be a positive experience.
Minimize your team’s fear and negative exposure to change by coaching and mentoring, along with keeping tasks short, so the consequences of mistakes are limited. Let you team experience success and learn how to win and demonstrate how accepting and adapting to change as a cooperative choice leads to beneficial value.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t be afraid to invest effort in the unknown
- Allow yourself (and your team) to struggle, and don’t get caught up in making mistakes
- Acknowledge doubts and disappointments and use failures as an opportunity to learn
- Anticipate and accept criticism, then work with it proactively and learn how to be successful
- Be open-minded and accept input from your colleagues and team