Presented by Catherine Smithson, Managing Director
Change Community of
Practice Webinars
Being resilient -
Self care for change practitioners

• Founded in 1993
• Our mission is to develop
change capable people
and organisations so they
achieve the benefits of
change
• Prosci Primary Affiliate
Australia and New
Zealand since 2006
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Introducing Being Human

Where to find today’s slides and recording
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Being Human Company Linkedin Profile
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Being Human Pty Ltd page
Like us!
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Slides and recording available
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Agenda
Resilience and the change
practitioner
Looking back at 2017
Top 5 tips
Your experiences?
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Why is resilience so important for the change
practitioner?
Change jobs are demanding
• Size and scope
• Responsibility
• Hours and intensity of work
• Constantly changing
• Influencing people 24/7
• Acting as a sounding board
for lots of people
We can be held to a higher standard
• Role model for change and
leadership – walk the walk
• Can not ever have a bad day at
the office!
Facilitating and supporting other people
– emotionally demanding

And how has 2017 contributed - what themes have
we seen?
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• Resources have been reduced on large
scale programs
• New practitioners coming into the field with
limited support from their organisation
• Organisations reworking the Project
Management discipline which, in turn,
impacts the effectiveness of Change
Management
• Shift of conversation to ‘ECM’ (early stages)

On the upside
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• Playing a part in major changes
• Once in a lifetime experiences –
changes that matter
• Make the impossible, possible
• Being part of a first class team
• Building lasting relationships
• Personal learning
• Others?

What is resilience?
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Source: American Psychological Society
It’s the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma,
tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress…
…. It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences.
Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary.
People commonly demonstrate resilience.
It is is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves
behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in
anyone.

Attributes of resilient people
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• Dr. Cal Crow, the co-founder and Program Director of the Center for Learning
Connections, Dr. Crow identified several attributes that are common in resilient
people:
• Resilient people have a positive image of the future. That is, they maintain a
positive outlook, and envision brighter days ahead.
• Resilient people have solid goals, and a desire to achieve those goals
• Resilient people are empathetic and compassionate, however, they don't
waste time worrying what others think of them. They maintain healthy
relationships, but don't bow to peer pressure.
• Resilient people never think of themselves as victims – they focus their time
and energy on changing the things that they have control over.
• How we view adversity and stress strongly affects how we succeed, and this is
one of the most important reasons that having a resilient mindset is so
important.
• The fact is that we're going to fail from time to time: it's an inevitable part of
living that we make mistakes and occasionally fall flat on our faces.

What builds resilience?
1. Staying social - Having caring and supportive relationships
within and outside the work, family, community
2. Keeping some fuel in the tank
3. Becoming physically stronger
4. Making realistic plans, setting goals and taking steps to carry
them out – no matter how small
5. Focusing on learning
6. Monitoring yourself - the capacity to manage strong feelings
and impulses – mindfulness
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Let’s talk about the elephant in the room….resilience
in hard times
• There will be times when you feel that you’ve had to hold yourself together so
you could focus on dealing with a project or organisational issues or helping
everyone else
• When there is more space for you to process events, it’s common to feel the
emotions that have been “shut off’ while in almost survival mode
• What do people need in this space? To feel that:
• there is support around them
• That they are understood and that often these feelings are a normal response to
the experiences they have had
• It is normal to need time and space to be allowed to have these feelings and then
work out how to cope with them
• To be told that ‘we are resilient’ makes it more difficult to reach out and seek
support, as it sets up an expectation that everyone is coping well, when that
may not be the case. Resilient people tap into the support available.
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Tip 1
Focus: Don’t try and do everything
• Focus on your priorities
• Go back to your assessments and tools and see what you could
be doing at this point
• Are you trying to do everything for everyone?
• Try: “Yes, I can, but that means I won't be able to do the
following… which one do you want me to focus on?”
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Tip 2: Find a change buddy
• Find a colleague you can bounce ideas off
• Inside or outside your organisation
• Change practitioners are very generous
• Most people will provide a sounding board to help you work
through an issue or change
• It’s ok to talk about your fears – it helps reduce them!
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Tip 3: Know what helps you
• What helps you manage your stress or bring you back to ground or
centre?
• Release the negative self talk around making time to decompress.
The pluses of actually doing it are really worth it!
• You may need to be in it for the long haul – get match fit
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Tip 4: Pragmatist or perfectionist?
• Sometimes we care too much &
expect too much
• As change practitioners there is
only so much we can do – some
things are out of our scope!
• Beware of your inner perfectionist
and what purpose it serves
• A perfect solution is often not
possible
• Focus on what you can actually
achieve.. lay track for the future.
Small steps are still useful.
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Tip 5: Keep your perspective
• We need to live to fight another
day - in the end, some changes
are just not going to go well
• Do your best and take care of
yourself - both mentally and
physically
• Take time out to rest and
rejuvenate over the break
• Set your work/life boundaries!
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End of year reflection
1. What have you done that
you are most proud of?
2. Is there anything you would
do differently?
3. What is your #1 learning
about the people side of
change?
4. What 3 qualities (character,
values) do you bring to your
“change work”, apart from
your technical expertise?
5. How will you replenish
during the break?
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Resilience and Optimism Resources
Resilience: ‘Bounce Back From Whatever Life Throws At You’
by Dr John Nicholson and Jane Clarke
Books and articles
Resilience on line Self Assessment
http://www.nicholsonmcbride.com/resilience/
Learned Optimism – Martin Seligman
https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/learned-optimism/
Get through the tough stuff by Charlotte Blair
https://www.psychologies.co.uk/self/get-through-the-tough-stuff.html.
American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
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Where to find today’s slides and recording
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Being Human Company Linkedin Profile
Follow us!
Being Human Pty Ltd page
Like us!
Slideshare.net/beinghumanaustralia
Slides and recording available
Follow us!

More info
beinghuman.com.au
• Free Prosci Webinars
• Free Change Community of Practice Webinars
Prosci
• prosci.com
• portal.prosci.com
Article
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/03/02/growing-
resilience-7-strategies-to-become-mentally-
stronger/#3be1dd577193
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