Applying the Five Keys
Look at each of the five key characteristics for developing resiliency, and apply them to this situation: You are put in charge of a project that involves a reorganization of your department and includes budget cuts. How will you ensure the success of the project by developing these keys to resiliency? Think of strategies for helping people cope with change, based on the five characteristics.
Positive:
Meet with your team individually or as a group. Have them raise the negative aspects of the change, and then have them re-frame each statement as a positive so that the positives list is at least as long as the negative one. Though this will feel awkward to them at first, even superficial, stick with it. Eventually people will learn to reframe things themselves and to believe in what they are repeating.
Focused:
Help staff to recognize where they are in the model, focus on the action plan or an agenda, and block out distractions and negative gossip.
Flexible:
To reinforce this concept, celebrate and reinforce when members of the team are demonstrating success, being flexible, experimenting, or taking risks.
Organized:
Assist staff with creating and updating plans. Training in time management, personal productivity, and project management might help.
Proactive:
To help those around you, keep the lines of communication open. Communicate what you know, even if it may change soon and you do not have full details. Set expectations on when they can receive updates and how things may change.