Is Your Change Team Suffering from This Silent Killer?
READ TIME - 5 MINUTES
Alex leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. The whiteboard in the CMO's meeting room was a chaotic mess of project timelines, all overlapping and bleeding into each other.
Five team restructures, two new Directors, and a constant influx of new initiatives had left the entire Change Management Office feeling like they were running on fumes.
"OMG another one?" groaned Priya, the engagement lead, as she squinted at the latest addition to their workload. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the last one."
"Tell me about it," chimed in Raj, one of the change managers. "I can't remember the last time I had a weekend without my laptop."
Alex nodded sympathetically. As a fellow change manager, he was struggling with the weight of constant flux too. It sucked.
And the irony wasn't lost on him - they were the ones supposed to be guiding others through change, yet here they were, struggling to keep their heads above water.
He glanced around at his colleagues. It was clear: the CMO itself needed their own kind of change strategy to combat their growing fatigue.
Sound like you? Here are some ideas that have worked well for us in similar situations:
1. Prioritise Workload with MoSCoW:
While we can't control the changes coming our way, we can manage how we approach them. The MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) is a powerful tool for prioritising tasks.
How to do it:
Suggest a team session to categorise current tasks and upcoming projects.
One way to get buy-in is to use this method for your own work, so you can demonstrate its effectiveness to colleagues.
Encourage open discussions about capacity and realistic timelines.
2. Celebrate Progress with a Visual Wall:
As Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile discovered, "Of all the things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work."
A sense of progress fuels motivation, confidence, and mental well-being by providing purpose, satisfaction, and a feeling of control over our lives.
This drive for progress is rooted in our psychology and evolution, encouraging us to grow and adapt.
Make the team’s progress more visible by:
Creating a shared "Progress Wall" in a common area. Make it big and bold!
Regularly update it with completed milestones, no matter how small.
Use it as a reminder of the team's impact during challenging times.
Pro tip: Include a "Lessons Learned" section to turn setbacks into opportunities for growth.
3. Implement "Pause for Purpose" Moments:
Draw inspiration from Cisco's “Pause for Purpose” initiative, and schedule regular time for reflection and recharging.
Cisco's Pause for Purpose initiative is a company-wide program designed to combat burnout and maintain employee well-being.
It includes scheduled 'downtime' days where employees are encouraged to step away from work, reflect, and recharge. They also implement shorter, regular breaks during the workday for mindfulness and stress relief activities.
How to adapt this for your CMO:
Suggest short, regular breaks during intense project phases. These could be 10-15 minute 'breathers' where team members step away from their desks.
Instigate a meeting free day each week, where the team can focus on deep work and progressing their most important priorities. Research out of MIT says that just one meeting free day a week increases team productivity by 35%!
Encourage the team to book and respect vacation time. Propose a shared calendar where team members can see upcoming leave, ensuring workload is managed accordingly.
Pro tip: Try the "How Full Is Your Cup?" exercise. Get everyone to draw a cup and fill it to represent your current capacity. Add it to your Visual Wall, and use everyone’s cups to start conversations about workload and support needed.
Like that legend Bruce Lee wisely said, "Be water, my friend."
In the face of constant change, cultivating adaptability and resilience is crucial, especially for us change management professionals.
By focusing on prioritisation, progress recognition, and purposeful pauses, you can help yourself and your team maintain resilience in an environment of continuous change.
Look, these strategies won't magically disappear all challenges, but we know from experience they can help create a more well and energised CMO.
After all, to effectively guide others through change, first we’ve gotta make sure we're standing on solid ground ourselves.
Share this email with your CMO teammates so you can whip these activities out the next time you’re all in struggle town.
And keep your eyes peeled for our email next Tuesday. We’re covering what to do when your Exec Sponsor is MIA - Don't miss it!
See you then,
Team EVER
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