Weather the Storm

Modernizing your approach to change

The sun shines warmly on your face. A flock of seagulls caw overhead.  

Salty wind whips past you, and you adjust your balance as you crest a rolling wave.  

You’re sailing under blue skies and over placid waters, but you can’t stop checking your depth chart, consulting your GPS, and scanning the horizon.  

Why?  

Sailing on the ocean isn’t like driving down the highway.  

No matter how calm it is one moment, everything can change the next.   

All sorts of potential hazards – rough waters, poor visibility, sea storms – crop up with little to no warning.  

Sailing the sea is as much art as it is science – reading the clouds, scanning the stars, and interpreting the tides to get from where you are to where you need to be.  

Encountering change in modern organizations is a lot like navigating the ocean. Blurred organizational boundaries and horizontal collaboration across silos have led to a more nuanced and dynamic business landscape. Meanwhile, the disruptive tides of innovation, AI, and agile working are constantly challenging the way we think about and do work.  

How we approach change needs to evolve to keep up with today’s interconnected and disruptive world.  

It’s no longer enough to simply manage change. We need to navigate it.  

Navigating change

Modern change is chaotic, and navigating through it can be overwhelming. To ground yourself and find your way, think about:  

• Human-centered design: Do change with people, not to them. How can you invite people into your change project?  

• Ecosystem and impacts: Think beyond sponsors and stakeholders. Who else is affected by your change – and who else needs a seat at the table?  

• Priorities and structure: When ambiguity abounds (and it will), what is your North Star? How can you map what you know – and identify what you don’t? 

• Outcomes and checkpoints: Identify signs of progress and KPIs. How will you get there? What does your ecosystem need to move toward adoption?  

Remember: modernizing your approach to change is a journey. You won’t learn to sail in one day – but you can learn the ropes.  

So start small.  

Look for opportunities to create structure amid ambiguity – no matter how tiny.  

Every step you take toward navigating change will help you pilot chaos, build resilience to volatility, and grow your modern change capability. 

What are your keys to weathering the storm of chaotic change?  Let us know in the comments below.  

Happy sailing!