Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
A few weeks ago, I published an article about a new CEO that fired a long-term employee. If you haven’t read it, I hope you’ll check it out. Since then, I’ve seen people posting stories about something frustrating or disappointing that’s happened to them. Obviously, like the person who was fired without warning, they’re trying to figure out how to deal with it and move on.
Change is hard. Even when we’re dealing with changes that we want, change can be hard. Especially the first step of recognizing the need for change. Whether it’s looking for a new opportunity or adopting a new habit, taking that first step can be daunting.
I don’t know if this will be helpful, but I wanted to share something that I do when I have to deal with an issue. It might be some disappointing or bad news. Or maybe it’s when I realize that I might have to make a change. Unless I absolutely must respond immediately, I give myself 24-hours to process what’s happening. I like to call it my “24-hour funk”. Then I promise myself that I will move on, whatever “moving on” looks like.
For reference, the Cambridge Dictionary defines “being in a funk” as being unhappy. So, to me, I allow myself to be unhappy, mad, frustrated, whatever and then I move on. Being in a funk doesn’t mean I can take my feelings out on others. It just means that I’m allowed to not be happy about whatever happened.
I used to work for a company that used this philosophy. When it delivered bad or unexpected news, they allowed employees to be in a 24-hour funk about it. In fact, it got to be kinda funny at times. An employee might say, “I’m 19 hours into my 24-hour funk. Come back and ask me tomorrow.” Everyone would laugh and it would get handled the next day. Again, let me repeat that being in a funk didn’t include being mean or disrespectful. It was about being able to express dissatisfaction or disappointment.
I was reminded of the 24-hour funk recently with something kinda silly – Pokémon Go. The developers who make the Pokémon Go app made changes to the game. One of the changes impacted the way your avatar looked. My initial reaction was fury! I was livid at how my avatar looked. I was totally ready to delete the game. Then I calmed myself down and said, “give it a day”. After my 24-hour funk was over, I made some changes to my avatar and it’s much more tolerable. I’m still not thrilled but I didn’t delete the game and I’m still having fun. Oh, and I made myself a promise not to buy any more in-game clothes for my avatar until it’s fixed to my satisfaction.
That’s the second part of the 24-hour funk – moving on. Think about what that looks like for you, including the possibility of making a temporary decision until you have more information. Like my Pokémon scenario, maybe you want to make a short-term decision and give it more time before making a long-term decision.
The reason I wanted to mention my 24-hour funk story is because it’s important to give ourselves time to process all the stuff that we’re expected to manage. Especially if we’re being asked to change. It’s okay to give yourself some time to process before acting. In fact, it’s recommended.
Remember Lewin’s change model? It has three steps: Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze. To me, that first step – unfreeze – is difficult. We’re letting go of something. It might be a policy or procedure that we knew how to do without hesitation. Or making the decision to leave our employer or team. Or maybe not doing business with a company any longer. Take time to reflect and process what’s happening before “unfreezing”. It could make the change process easier.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of San Francisco, CA
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