Let's face it, change is practically the new black: always in fashion. And it often brings both personal and societal shifts. As a change manager with a little longevity, I've seen how in these transformative moments, the importance of human connections becomes more pronounced.
Fostering connections matters during change because change puts us under stress and tests our capacities in many directions at the same time. Connections with others allow us to release some of the pressure, gain perspective and feel a sense of belonging to carry us through any low points along the way.
Resilience and Strength
Human connections build our strength and support the stores of resilience we need to open up and step into new chapters. Knowing that we’re not alone on an unpredictable journey provides comfort and support.
Even the change makers involved — leading, managing or providing services for the change — often face immense challenges, including change resistance and personal pressure. Connecting with others helps them navigate these difficulties.
Experience shows a clear link between the wellbeing of change makers and the effectiveness of the change they're supporting. When individuals feel supported and connected, they can contribute more effectively to positive progress. Prioritising the wellbeing of the people is essential.
Personal and Community Growth
Meaningful connections foster personal growth and development. They encourage self-reflection, empathy, and learning. By understanding ourselves and others better, we become more effective agents of change.
A supportive network provides emotional and practical help during challenging times. Cultivating meaningful connections contributes to overall wellbeing and individual success.
In Workplace Community and Wellbeing: Fostering a Healthy and Productive Environment we discover that the concept of workplace wellbeing extends beyond physical health. It encompasses mental, emotional, and social aspects that significantly impact employees’ overall satisfaction, productivity, and sense of belonging. Workplace community is a concept that can enhance employee wellbeing sitting alongside practical strategies for creating a positive work environment.
During times of change, nurturing human connections isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for personal wellbeing and societal progress.
Real-life Connecting During Change
This is a true story about a woman who participated in a sponsorship program in which children in need received regular monthly payments from willing sponsors. Sponsors receive letters from their sponsored children and she was regularly moved by the difference it made to these children and their families - not the money per se, but the care it represented and the practical differences, both small and large, that the financial help brought.
In one thank you letter, the sponsored child mentioned he'd used his birthday money to buy school shoes. The woman reflected on the gratitude, and the pride expressed in his letter and was so moved, she decided she couldn't let him have school shoes for his birthday, and forwarded another gift.
The woman's father had died a few years prior, and it so happened that in the week the woman received the final inheritance from her father's estate, she received another thank you letter. In this letter she learned her sponsored child had just suffered the loss his father. Both the boy and the woman had lost their fathers. She was a grown adult with her own family, and earning her own living. But this boy was not, and was already financially dependent on the program to which she contributed - before the death of his parent.
She now felt a stronger sense of responsibility to him, due to the shared experience of loss and grief.
The woman took a small amount from her father's estate to help the boy and his family build a hut. They were going to be able to choose whether to live in the hut or receive rental from it. She received photographs of the community helping build the hut along with another thank you letter.
Two people who had never met were connected by a sense of shared experience that enabled them to find meaning in their grief. This connection expanded to include their families and the local community. For a moment, they all belonged to something bigger, making the transition into a life without a father an experience that was far more meaningful than it would have otherwise been; for both the woman and the boy.
Some changes are tragic, many changes are just the start of something new and sometimes both types of change are bundled up together. If we build connections with each other, we can truly say we’re all on this journey together, supporting one another as we navigate life, one change at a time.
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