In this episode, we embark on a journey with Rashad, a character from the "Mindful in 5" book series, who finds himself navigating the tumultuous waters of an unexpected shift in his work life. Amidst the tranquility of his day season, where goals are clear and productivity soars, a sudden change in company strategy throws Rashad and his team into the dark season of uncertainty and challenge.
This episode explores the universal struggle of maintaining peace and clarity when the ground beneath you seems to shift. As Rashad faces the dual challenges of a professional upheaval and personal transitions, including becoming an empty nester, we delve into the heart of resilience and adaptability.
Join us as we uncover the steps to pivot successfully, embracing the unknown with grace and resilience. It's an exploration of how to hold onto peace, calm, and focus, even when life's seasons shift unexpectedly. Rashad's journey is a testament to the strength found in vulnerability, the clarity gained through mindfulness, and the power of embracing change with a cheerful and supported spirit.
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MINDFUL IN 5 EPISODE: RESPOND TO DISRUPTIONS
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
team, rashad, mindful, find, life, rashard, season, change, resilience, leadership, transition, adapt, moment, book, minds, mindfulness, discussion, today, titled, acknowledge
TRANSCRIPT
0:00 Hello and welcome to Mindful in 5, helping you discover your peaceful path. I'm your host Spiwe Jefferson, author of the Mindful in 5 book series.
00:15 Mindful Ninjas, where are you in this moment? Say present because you are present in the moment, if your mind is wandering, gently channel it to be here now. Today our topic is respond to disruption. How do you stay on your peaceful path when your work life is upended? To help illustrate is Rashad, one of the characters in the mindful and five book series Rashad is a mechanical engineer and he is in the day season of his work life. Things are going well. Goals are clear his team is in harmony and productivity is high. Suddenly, an unexpected change strikes. A shift in company strategy driven by changing market forces. This change brings uncertainty, challenges and a sense of being ill equipped to handle the new demands. Rashad and his team find themselves abruptly in the dark season of their work life.
Can you relate to Rashad's predicament? On top of that, Rashad is a new empty nester and he and his wife are having a hard time finding their footing. Life doesn't wait, its turn to throw you a curveball. So you may be dealing with challenges in other areas of your life too. So how do you hold on to peace, calm, clarity and focus when your work life is up ended? Let's take a look.
The central idea in dealing with situations like this is to adapt and flow with the change. Many of us try to hold on to our old plans by our fingernails and resist or try to ignore the change. Since that approach is not in line with our new reality, it generally fails. So how do we pivot successfully? Let's see what Rashad did. First, he was open in communicating with his team. He acknowledged the change. And he led his team in a candid but constructive discussion about their feelings about it. It's normal to feel disoriented, anxious, or even fearful. mindfulness teaches us to observe these emotions without judgment. Sounds easy, but it's really quite difficult. Accept that these feelings are natural and they're a natural response to change. Part of the way that Rashad even got to this point was by first recognizing within himself, that change had happened and figuring out how he was going to deal with it every day. So he sat, as he was taught by his coach, Cassie. He sat with himself for at least five minutes every morning, and just visualized how he was going to show up each day. So after he had this open communication with his team, he grounded his team in the present.
When faced with upheaval, our minds often race to worst case scenarios. grounding yourself in the present moment helps stabilize your emotions and provides clarity. You don't have to solve for all the days you just have to solve for today. At a team meeting, Rashad started the meeting by leading his team through a simple but common box breathing exercise. Inhale to the counter for hold it for the counter for exhale for the counter for. Then he asked his team to say aloud what was happening in the moment. They said things like in this moment, I know what I'm supposed to do today. In this moment, I'm able to take the first step to meet the day's responsibilities. I know what I need to do today. Acknowledging that they were capable of meeting the moments challenges, reduced the sense of panic and increased their confidence. As part of what they did when they realized that things have changed was to take a look at their original strategy and execution plans, and figured out how to adjust those.
With that done, they could now focus on what is the work that needs to be done today. The team was able to reprioritize and do what was most important. By taking the work one day at a time and tackling what they had to do step by step, the team was flexible and able to adapt. For some team members, it meant acquiring new skills, learning how to use AI to increase efficiency, redefining goals, and for others, altering their work processes. I would argue that in life, it's not the strongest that survive, but the most adaptable oil. So these are steps you can take in your own career journey when you find yourself thrust into a season of change.
Along the way, practice self compassion. Be kind to yourself and your team during this transition. It's okay not to have all the answers immediately. And it might even be okay for you to express vulnerability by admitting that this is what you know now, and there might be open questions that are still being sorted out in other areas of the company. In the meantime, practice self care and acknowledge your efforts to adapt to the new situation. Something else that can help is to anchor yourself in your leadership, philosophy or core values.
In conclusion, transitioning from the day to the duck season in your work life is undoubtedly challenging. But through mindfulness, you can navigate this transition with grace and resilience. Try adapting and flowing with it when change and upheaval smack you in the face (chime). Start each day with at least five minutes to send to yourself. Acknowledge what's happening at work, and visualize yourself moving through the day with calm, resilience and flexibility. communicate openly with your team. ground yourselves in the present moment and focus on what you need to do to adjust and just go day by day.
07:59 With grace and compassion, you and your team can get through your dark season together. You will also likely find that these periods of change while difficult can lead to significant personal and professional growth and bring you closer as a team. Remember, every dark season is followed by the light of a new day.
Thank you for listening today. Join us next week as we continue to discover our peaceful path. Until then, this is beware saying Be mindful and be well.
James@DiscovertheVoice
08:43 Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend. Follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book in journal from SpiweJefferson.com or unsigned copies from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or wherever you get your books. Visit SpiweJefferson.com to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.