5 Ways to Handle Unexpected Changes

Have you ever come into work finding that the whole office is in chaos? More than likely, it’s because something unexpected happened. Maybe a client wants a product 2 weeks before their initial deadline, or someone important in your department quit unexpectedly. Whatever the change is, you need to be adaptable in order to get through. Here are five ways to handle unexpected changes!

1. Don’t Panic

   Easier said than done, of course, but if you let yourself become overwhelmed with panicky thoughts like “We’re never going to get through this,” you won’t be able to focus on what you need to focus on – how you can help better the situation. If you need to, take a moment to breathe deeply. This slows your heart rate down and helps slow your thought process down, so you’re not going through a million thoughts a minute. If you struggle doing this on your own, breathe in for four counts, and out for five counts. Repeat until you’re in a good mental spot to handle the unexpected change!

2. Stay Optimistic

   Sometimes an unexpected change can feel like the end of the world. If someone important in your office quit unexpectedly, it’s really easy to throw your arms up and think that they’re the only ones who can do the job. But here’s the thing – that person had to learn how to do their job, right? Therefore, someone else can learn, too. Mistakes might be made in the transition process, but remember – we’re all human. Your business will be fine, as long as everyone works hard towards the same goal.

3. Ask for Help

   This is probably the hardest thing to do for some of you, because if you’ve ever worked in a group project, you know that some people aren’t reliable whatsoever. But when you take on everything yourself, you can get easily overwhelmed and burnt out, and then no work can get done at all. So if something unexpected happens where an extra set of hands will be of help, then trust in your coworkers to take on at least some tasks that you need to complete.

4. Don’t place blame

   This falls in the same vein as staying optimistic – many people feel the need to place blame on something or someone for the unexpected change. But the biggest mistake people make is getting stuck on the blame train and only focusing on what went wrong in the past. If you get stuck blaming others for the work, ultimately your own work will suffer. Instead, focus on the future and think about what you can do to help keep your work moving forward.

5. Learn from the experience

   If we don’t learn from our experiences, we’re liable to repeat them. Therefore, as you’re working through the unexpected changes in your work, keep tabs on what is working and what isn’t working. Is the plan for handling this change going smoothly? Did you end up taking more than you could handle at the time? Is the office overall happy with the change, or are they upset? Taking note of little things like that can help you be more prepared the next time an unexpected change occurs. You might not be able to prepare for a specific scenario, but being aware of what’s working and what’s not working will be a big help to you in the future!

Unexpected change happens to the best of us, and while it’s impossible to be fully prepared for it, we can do a couple of things to get through the change as quickly and as smoothly as possible!