Radical Change is coming…oh wait:  IT’S HERE!

Last week’s executive order pausing/freezing federal funding shook many people right to the soles of their feet. Over the weekend, the USAID agency was shut down (and perhaps it may be terminated?), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s head was fired, paving the way for it to be shut down.  Tariffs are being used to pressure other countries to create new agreements or change their behavior… and there are many more changes in the works.

In the fiscal year 2024, the Federal Government spend $6.9 trillion, 24% of the nation’s GDP. The changes which have been declared by the current administration have the potential to radically change this economy's relationship to our government. Whether we agree or disagree with these changes is not really relevant … like it or not, changes are happening.

What is predictable, and in fact at this point is observable, is that there is much fear and arguing happening all over the country. For those of us responsible for running organizations that rely on federal funding, the fear is particularly acute and has the potential to hamstring their organizations in the short run; regardless of whether these changes impact us or not in the longer run. As FDR famously said: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

The fear, gossip and arguing that's going on is not only understandable, but predictable, given the way the human brain works. As a brain researcher who we worked with some years ago said; “the amygdala is essentially an organ that senses novelty.” Any sort of a change is, by definition, novel and thus will scare us.  When we add in fear of the unknown (the ultimate form of novelty) it magnifies the fear of the known change, potentially sending our brains spiraling out of control.

Given that affect (our emotional state) is contagious, this fear will spread through any community or organization like wildfire.  The ensuing distractions and decline in morale can have a very negative impact on our effectiveness in executing our purpose…unless someone generates a different emotional state and makes it spread. I don't mean to oversimplify the situation or to trivialize it in any way, but it comes back to displacing fear with love.  Displacing attention on self and self-preservation with attention on those we are committed to serving.

A few years ago there was an article in Forbes magazine that cited the fact that one of the qualities of the most effective executives in the world is their ability to accept change, especially negative change, without mourning or bemoaning the fact that things haven’t gone their way. This allows them to quickly readjust, chart a new course forward, and move on; simply accepting the current reality for what it is and adjusting plans. This is a very easy thing to say and a very difficult thing to do given the nature of our brains. But the implication is clear: The most effective response to radical change is radical acceptance.

Radical acceptance involves fully acknowledging and embracing the present moment, including its difficulties and discomforts, without trying to change or control it. Radical acceptance is about recognizing that some parts of life are beyond our control, and that struggling against them only leads to further suffering. It involves accepting and making peace with things that cannot be changed, such as past events, current circumstances, or other people’s behaviors. Radical acceptance means fully accepting our reality and letting go of the bitterness. It refers to realizing that fighting what is already happening just leads to more pain.  (Source; https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/distress-tolerance/radical-acceptance/)

Again, this is much easier said than done.

So, in this session of The Interchange we will discuss:

1. How might you manage your emotions and embrace Radical Acceptance?

2. What can you do to spread radical acceptance through your organization?

3. How do you lead your people through this period of radical change?

4. How do you keep your people focused on serving your customers/clients?

5. What practical strategies or actions need to be initiated to respond to this radical change?

We look forward to seeing you, and if anyone has found any resources about all these changes that would be helpful to your Interchange colleagues here, feel free to reply All with that info.