Even the best leaders get overtaken by the pace of modern organisational life. You know the feeling; properly reading an email now seems like wasting precious time. Each new notification is met with an internal and involuntary "...what now?" The blur of meetings become an exercise in scanning for signs of positive progress...or further drama.
You are beyond change fatigue; this is change overwhelm. So what's the technique to get you out of this sub-optimal state?
Put down the problems, focus on the solution.
In chaos, bias to action
Being solutions-oriented is a powerful tactic to lead change amidst overwhelming challenges. A key part of our practice, is a tailored version of "solutions focused coaching", which essentially helps our the leaders we work with break down complex issues into manageable actions.
Moreover, we see this style of resilient thinking as inherent to building change management capability; your teams will have far more engagement and a better morale, if they can "self-orientate" towards being part of the solution.
One pragmatic tool to facilitate this shift is the OSKAR coaching framework. OSKAR stands for Outcome, Scaling, Know-How, Affirm & Action, and Review. This structured approach helps leaders identify solutions and take actionable steps:
Outcome: Define what you want to achieve. Clarity on the desired outcome sets the direction. It is possible you might have multiple, collectively linked outcomes e.g.: a "results" one and a "culture" one.
Scaling: Assess the current situation. My standard question: "Where 1 is 'you'll forget this tomorrow' and 10 is 'career defining trauma'...where does this rate?" Understanding where you stand helps calibrate your mindset and hone some 'self-efficacy', based on the challenges you've successfully navigated before (aka: the Bonafide 8+ scores on this scale)
Know-How: Identify the skills and knowledge needed to get to your outcomes, not what is needed to engage with your problem. Be specific about what you really need here and orientate towards leveraging existing strengths, as this can accelerate progress.
Affirm & Action: Recognise what's working and plan the next steps. If you're collaborating with others, then positive reinforcement and actionable steps are crucial. Related side note: I close every problem-solving workshop / coaching session, with a very literal "Do Next". I work with clients to find something for them along the lines of: "When I leave this session I will book the next two meetings with Director of ABC and follow up on XYZ data request".
Review: Reflect on progress and adjust as necessary. Continuous improvement keeps the momentum going, so set the next logical 'horizon' to check in on progress.
Notice what's missing here? There's very minimal "looking in the rear-view mirror"; it's a deliberate avoidance of complex analysis of the problem and / or the historical timeline.
Instead, we're moving forward...and we're going now. We will feel better and think clearer when we get there.
Reality check: solutions focus is a tactical method, not a daily mantra
Don't get me wrong, I'm a keen Lean Six Sigma guy and structure a lot of our leadership development around constructive dialogue to understand multiple perspectives and "truths". I don't over-advocate, for skipping the understanding of a multi-layered and interconnected reality.
I am also putting an exception in place, for any change or problem on the above scale, which hits a genuine 10 (or 11). To me, that is a crisis - which needs a dedicated crisis management strategy.
But the premise here, is that you dear reader (or someone you know) is in a genuine state of change overwhelm. For the scenario of cumulative change fatigue, when it all just seems "too much"...picking this research backed approach on the right issues, can keep you and your teams moving in the right direction whilst regaining self-efficacy (aka: confidence)
Repetitively overplaying a solutions focus, risks leading to shallow and disconnected thinking. We've all met that Executive / Board member, who "just wants answers" and makes their points in senior forums by tangentially grabbing at the most accessible information, rather than being deeply considered on ambiguous challenges.
That's not a good look for you either.
I'll always encourage you to use that big brain and honed personality of yours (from both your professional and personal realms) to really work through each important change under your remit.
But if you're just not up for it today, stay focused on where you need to go and what you need to do to get there.
Still too much change or need to go faster? A good change leadership coach can help you both navigate the balancing act of "analyse" versus "solution", plus build the change capability of you and your team.