Working harder in times of change
In the midst of change and uncertainty, a natural stress reaction is to work harder. Think more. Do more. Control more. It feels responsible, productive, and even strong. But especially in these times, working harder can subtly derail your results.
Change activates automatic stress reactions. Without realizing it, you shift from creative responses to survival reactions. Calm is replaced with urgency. Grounded leadership is replaced with pressure-driven action. You may lack trust in others and look to control your environment. Often, you have the experience and expertise to instinctively navigate these conditions. And yet, there can be a danger that this ability can blind you to opportunities and necessary actions to create a path forward.
This is not so much about whether what you are doing is right or wrong; it’s about whether you are stuck in habitual patterns without realizing their limitations. It is about awareness and curiosity to challenge what you believe to be necessary in these conditions.
A personal example.
I worked in sales for Kraft Foods when it was purchased by Heinz 3G in 2015. Given extensive layoffs and system changes, there was much more work for those remaining. I recall talking with a vice president, and he repeated an often-used statement, “Cathy, we all need to work harder right now.” Of course, this sounds logical. However, my response was: “We need to rethink this statement. We can do better with working a little less hard.”
He was taken aback, so I explained that when everyone was working harder, many employees in senior leadership, finance, and marketing demanded more attention from the front-line sales team. This meant we focused less on working with our customers to develop creative solutions to address changes in our business. It wasn’t so much about everyone working harder as about focusing on the key business drivers and having space to develop creative solutions. What I needed to do was create a calm space to focus on changing the way I offered contracts to create win-win opportunities for Kraft Heinz and my customer. As a result, I was able to drive net sales growth during a period when overall sales revenue declined.
Hidden beliefs driving hard work.
Often, beneath the drive to work harder are hidden beliefs that you developed at a young age, such as: “If I don’t work hard, everything will fall apart,” “It’s all on me,” or “I can’t afford to slow down.” These beliefs feel true, and it’s not normal to question or challenge them. But they are usually stress patterns activated by change and uncertainty. If you pay attention, you may notice an inner voice telling you to work hard, or you may recognize stress in your tone of voice or body posture.
Again, these responses are not a matter of being right or wrong. Working hard can be a survival instinct to support you through urgent situations. However, this belief can also keep you stuck in automatic stress patterns without realizing it, damaging relationships and negatively impacting your ability to make creative choices.
The costs of being stuck are subtle but real. Decisions may be fast, but based on conditions that aren’t relevant. Relationships feel the strain. Even your physical health is affected. While you may be conditioned to work hard to achieve success, you can only work so hard before things break down.
Especially in times of change, it is important to realize that you are conditioned to operate on your beliefs and past experiences. In times of change and uncertainty, this programming may no longer serve you.
Spotting and Shifting Stress Reactions
Spotting stress reactions can be challenging. Your patterned behaviours are normal, and in times of change, you simply repeat these patterns. So why would you change anything?
You may think of a treadmill for exercising. When the program speeds up, you walk faster. More speed, and you start to run. When the speed gradually increases, you may not even notice that you are working harder. But then suddenly, there is a big change in speed. You automatically work harder to keep up the pace. Until you can’t. For a treadmill, you can control the speed. In everyday work and life, you don’t have the same level of awareness or control.
So how do we spot and shift these stress reactions in work and life?
First, recognize the signs. When a treadmill speeds up, you may notice your breathing shifts or your legs can’t keep up. In everyday life, you can notice your thoughts and emotions. What is your inner dialogue? What are physical symptoms, including tone of your voice, tightness in your shoulders or facial expressions?
Secondly, you can use a powerful guided change model called Logosynthesis® to use this information to identify and neutralize the underlying memories and beliefs that trigger specific stress reactions. Layer by layer, you can let go of the stress. Rather than being thrown off the treadmill as it speeds up, you can release the tension so that the steps are easier to take.
Getting started with Logosynthesis
If you find yourself tightening, overworking, or carrying more than your share during change, pause. You may not need to do more. Rather, you can release the triggers that drive the urgency. Every layer of stress you resolve brings you closer to accessing your inner knowing rather than being programmed by your conditioned reactions. From there, your work becomes clearer, lighter, and far more impactful.
I know firsthand what it feels like to be caught in patterns of “working harder.” In fact, it was during the tumultuous period at Kraft Heinz that I began using Logosynthesis routinely. It gave me a pause, a way to notice when I was reacting from stress and create space for calm focus.
I share more about this experience in my book, Logosynthesis®: Enjoying Life More Fully (Caswell, 2017).
If you’d like to explore how Logosynthesis can support you professionally or personally – especially during times of change – reach out. Sometimes you don’t have to work harder to move forward. Sometimes the most powerful step is releasing what’s driving the urgency. You can use the guided video below to give it a try.