Dear Subscriber First Name

Welcome to the first issue of
Change for the Better

March 2020

How are you doing?

Welcome to the very first issue of the Twist newsletter, Change for the Better. You’re welcome here every month to discuss all things change and wellbeing related, dip into some of the latest thinking and find new resources that might help you to put people - including yourself - first in change.

I work in a big space in change, touching on many areas including organisational change, wellbeing, coaching, communications and the climate emergency – for me, these are all closely linked. I know that many of you have been wrestling with the changes that the COVID-19 virus is having on everyone and particularly the fast-moving nature of it all. It’s something I’ve been finding really tricky too and often quite overwhelming. So, I’ve been revisiting some of the tools I’ve learned over the years that have helped me when unexpected change hits.

I’d love to hear your feedback on any ideas you’ve found useful or let me know your questions, by replying to this email. You can also find me @jotwis on Twitter @jotwis on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

With very best wishes,
Jo

What’s in our control - and what isn’t?

Life can feel pretty overwhelming at times and even more so just lately. I’ve found myself reacting to the big change we’re facing rather than choosing how to respond. So, for example, I’ve had real moments of panic worrying about other people in my family and my news and social media scanning has increased which has all led to sleepless nights. Not particularly helpful for me or anyone else.

When this starts to kick in, focusing my time and energy on the things I’ve got control over over, rather than the things I don’t, helps me. And, it frees up time to think about how to help rather than ruminating over the impossible.

The Circles of Concern and Influence
My way of managing this has been adapted from a read of Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, where he introduces the Circles of Concern and Influence. In a nutshell, your Circle of Concern contains all those things that concern you and matter to you. The challenge with this circle is that you can’t do something about everything in this circle and that’s where the Circle of Influence comes in.You might be concerned about climate change for example (in your Circle of Concern) but what you can do about it, falls into your Circle of Influence - the space where you can add those things you can do something about. By doing more, we can feel less hopeless and helpless.

This approach can also be used in organisations too - I’ve found it really useful in helping teams put a spotlight on where they can really focus to make a difference.

Three questions you can ask yourself to focus on your Circle of Influence:

• where are you currently spending most of your time - in the circle of concern or influence?

• what aspects of your life or work can you have more influence or control over at the moment e.g. what you read or watch and how often, how you speak to yourself, how often do you check in with your team or your family?

• how can you build in time every day - however busy things get - to refocus?

I’d love to hear your tips that help you stay balanced when life throws up the unexpected.

And to finish… three inspiring links…