Ready, Set, Change — navigating the “messy middle” of change.
In the last episode of The Positive Change Podcast, I explore the three phases of psychological transition through any significant change:
Phase 1: Endings
Phase 2: Neutral Zone
Phase 3: New Beginnings
In this episode (Part 2 of my Thriving Through Change masterclass recorded live with a client), I dive into Phase 2 and the “messy middle” of change.
The problem is the Neutral Zone of change is often anything but neutral, which is why most change efforts take significantly longer than planned.
(I could have spent a whole episode on the importance of practicing Radical Acceptance when in the Neutral zone of change as a way of making change go faster, but I’ll leave that to another time).
When navigating the middle phase of any change, it's important to recognise what needs to change and to ensure that both the external and observable aspects of change AND the internal and more subjective aspects of a change or considered, planned for, and implemented.
But simply ensuring that all change efforts focus on what needs to change about mindsets, culture, behaviours, and structures isn’t enough.
You see, in the “messy middle” of change, the key thing that’s changing (and often forgotten about) is the roles people play with each other—for example: “fixer,” “supporter,” “agitator,” “sounding board,” etc.
When we experience “noise” or “tension” with others during change, it is often because the roles we play with others have changed, and we haven't realised.
Renegotiating our role relations with others is essential to supporting a timely transition into the New Beginnings phase of the change journey.
Check out this episode of The Positive Change Podcast to learn more.
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