Legend has it that one day, the philosopher Heraclitus sat beside a river, deep in thought, as all great philosophers do. One of his sandals slipped off and floated downstream. He watched it and sighed dramatically: “The only constant in life is change”.
Fast forward a couple of thousand years, and Heraclitus River has turned into a flood of shifting priorities, surprise tech rollout, and system updates. But the man had a point.
So, how do you stay sane?
Spoiler alert: it starts with lowering the volume on perfection and turning up humour, empathy, and flexibility.
Communicate like a human
No one wants to “leverage cross-functional synergies for scalable optimization” when what they really need is to understand how their role is changing. Use language people actually understand. Be honest. Be real. Provide clear direction. Communicate early, even if you don’t have all the answers. Say what’s changing, why it matters, and how it affects people, and write it down so there’s clear, consistent reference everyone can come back to.
Pro tip: Easily updated documents and checklists provide structure and consistency, making change easier to track.
Lead with heart, not just a plan
Behind every change is a team of real humans who experience uncertainty, fear, and hope, often all at once. Don’t just manage processes – manage emotions. Acknowledge fears. Celebrate small wins. Show people they matter more than the workflow.
Because at the end of the day, your fancy roadmap means nothing if no one wants to take the trip.
Pro tip: Listen twice as much as you talk. Make space for questions and concerns.
Accept that control is a shared illusion
Stop aiming for “total control” and aim for adaptive control. Knowing what you can influence and gracefully letting go of the rest. Seriously, let it go. We often overestimate our sense of control. We are not as powerful as we think 😉 and we can’t influence everything we worry about. Take city traffic, for example. Muttering curses under your breath only brings your mood down. Turn on an audiobook or your favourite music and enjoy the unexpected free moment. “Progress begins when you observe without judgment.”
Pro tip: Shift your perspective from a passive “nothing can be done” to an active one – “what action can I take?”
Laugh. Often.
Humour won’t solve all your change problems – but it’ll make the ride a lot less bumpy. And frankly, if we’re going to live in a whirlwind of transformation, we might as well enjoy the breeze. Laughter releases tension and builds connection. Use it wisely. Not everyone is ready to laugh when they’re feeling anxious. Humour should lighten the load, not dismiss the weight.
Author
Monika Laszczyńska
Programme Manager
Monika is an expert with 20 years of commercial experience in management and consulting. Her work has always centered on people; she believes that advancing technology should enhance, not replace, human relationships. Passionate about excellence, she strongly values constant learning and versatility. Monika embraces diverse challenges on her professional path, believing that doing so many different things you no longer know what to call yourself is a good thing - and she likes to take the time to do things right.
