The Sustainable Goal Of You
In the past month alone, I’ve had to bear witness to three different experiences, which at first glance don’t seem connected, but when you look deeper, they reveal the same pattern. These patterns raise questions that feel personal to those experiencing them, yet clearly echo beyond their singular lives, extending into various households, workplaces and industries. Let’s have a look…
Scenario 1
The holidays are over. An individual returns to work physically rested and grateful for time away. Yet on the inside, they feel flat, somewhat dissociated, showing little enthusiasm, and say every conversation has to be pushed through. The “bleh” they felt before the holidays doesn’t seem to have been resolved by rest/relaxation; on the contrary, it has deepened. Nothing is wrong per se, but something feels off, and they can’t quite put their finger on it.
Scenario 2
A high flyer who has survived two layoffs in the past 15 months takes pride in being retained for their value. They’ve played by the rules, delivered great results, and been positive and committed. Yet now, rumours of another re-org stir up the same dread. “Will I survive this round? Work feels like Russian roulette these days,” they say. They wonder if there will ever be a time when whispers of layoffs don’t steal their sleep.
Scenario 3
A leader is asked to guide another round of change & transformation. They’ve done it before, they know how. They’ve streamlined teams, optimised processes, leveraged technology, they know the drill, and they will get it done. But this time, things feel heavier, not the work itself, but the human impact. How will the people affected really cope this time? Fatigue sets in. They wonder, “How can we ensure people are truly okay after the payouts & sendoffs”?
The pattern is clear; it’s a question of what to do when change is rapidly occurring around us or within us. And from this pattern, two big questions emerge:
- What is the antidote to change, disruption, and uncertainty happening either within or around us?
- How can we future-proof ourselves, our teams, and loved ones, so we thrive no matter what changes occur (even when it is a loss of some kind)?
The Glaring Issue
Change and disruption seem to trigger discomfort in our collective psyche; hence, they have become stress and anxiety boosters of a sort.
We talk about change as inevitable, and disruption as even positive for innovation, but for many, the underlying emotion and feeling when change occurs (whether within or around us) is that of fear, panic or at the very least niggling worry.
The thing is, change has never really been the issue, and seeing as the pace of change is only going to =accelerate from here on out, it’s in all our best interests to learn to navigate and deal with change to the best of our ability.
The real challenge is that, beyond adapting systems, updating structures, driving milestones, etc, we have not really equipped people to navigate change from a place of inner strength. The focus has been outward, which is super important; still, when we minimise the impact of change on a personal level and the need to be equipped for change at an individual level, it’s like giving space for a chisel to continuously chip away at available layers of personal resilience and emotional stability, making them less robust. Inevitably, the next change event comes around, but many struggle to cope or to deal effectively.
We speak of resilience, yet treat it as a nice-to-do or say, versus integrating it as a core
capability (especially now). Resilience comes from anticipating, preparing/testing and immersing. Are we doing any forms of this?
A Clear Solution
Think about how organisations proactively build safety, health and environmental awareness or cybersecurity readiness. These aren’t optional add-ons; they are vital safeguards because the associated risks of neglect are immense.
The same proactive stance is now needed for human sustainability, which involves
building the clarity, capacity, and resilience people need to thrive in a dynamic future of work.
This is the work of The Sustainable Goal of You (SGOY). It provides a framework that equips individuals and teams with clarity, strategy, resilience, and renewal, enabling personal sustainability beyond shifting circumstances.
The Call
Regardless of whether the shared scenarios mirror your reality or not, the point is this: Act proactively: Boost your or your team’s capacity & resilience to thrive in the midst of change, disruption & uncertainty.
Don’t wait until a crisis forces your hand. Don’t wait until you or members of your teams are struggling in some shape or form.
In the end, it’s not change that breaks us. It’s the lack of preparation for the humans element of change.
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