Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2020 - 36

EXERT AGENCY BY
TAKING ACTION
Agency, as defined by the social
sciences, is the capacity of individuals
to act independently and make their
own choices. Taking self-directed
action, or exerting agency, can lower
one's threat meter.
When experiencing change, start by
asking yourself what you can control in
the present situation. For example, in
the case of a reorganization, you might
familiarize yourself with new org charts,
meet your new boss and discover
their vision, recall how your personal
strengths have served you through past
changes, and tailor your experience to
align with the new environment.
Even in situations where you have little
or no control, you can find actions that
move you toward small wins. At the
very least, determine to control your
response to change by beginning with
your attitude. Do you need to come to
terms with the change by practicing
acceptance? Aim to get comfortable
being uncomfortable. Comfortable is
nice, but it's not a necessity.

EMOTIONS ARE
CONTAGIOUS, SO BE
CAREFUL WHAT YOU
SPREAD!
As a learning leader, help employees
exert their agency by giving them
opportunities to weigh in on strategies
for managing the change at hand. Give
team members options when possible,
and invite them to think creatively and
take ownership of the change journey.

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CLARIFY THE WHY AND
CREATE A WAY
Understanding the why behind a
change helps secure a sense of
purpose and set a shared strategy. It
is important to know the organizational
rationale for change and be able to
share it with your team. On a personal
level, discover how the organizational
why aligns with your personal why -
your vision, values and purpose. This
enables you to honor yourself and your
principles in a world of change.
Beyond why, you need a way. The way
is not a detailed how-to but a broad
overview of where you are heading
and how you plan to get there. The
Heath brothers call this a "destination
postcard." You don't need to know all
the turns, but you do need to know you
are going to California - not New York
or Chicago. As a learning leader, this
means identifying the most important
actions while leaving room to work
through the details later. Having a sense
of where you are going and why you
are moving in that direction combats
concerns that escalate change fatigue.

By way of illustration, as part of a
global training project sponsored
by the Department of State, a group
of international government and
nongovernmental organization (NGO)
leaders from a developing country
worked together with experts in the
U.S. to expand their understanding of
governance, transparency and citizen
participation. The intent was that,
upon their return home, these leaders
would further develop these capacities
in their country. Trust between
government and the new NGO entity
was fledgling, so they began to identify
the rationale for working together that
made sense to both groups, illustrating
the value of NGO work and the benefit
of government partnership. The U.S.
team provided guiding principles
like collaboration, minimal force, and
checks and balances. Then they
identified some critical actions to get
them on their way. With access to
local programs, the global leaders saw
firsthand how police, the legal system
and nonprofits collaborate to address
issues such as domestic violence.
A year after the project, the team
learned that a training program for an
entire division of their federal police
Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2020

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