A Series of Unprecedented Events
The term "permacrisis" was coined during the pandemic and is defined as an extended period of instability and insecurity, particularly one resulting from a series of catastrophic events.
David Shariatmadari, nonfiction book editor at The Guardian, stated, "Permacrisis is a term that perfectly embodies the dizzying sense of lurching from one unprecedented event to another, as we wonder bleakly what new horrors might be around the corner in the world, for our company and across our team."
While we are no longer facing a global pandemic, our communities are facing a new crisis: massive cuts to the systems that we have built over the past decades. Santa Clara County is expected to have a $1 billion shortfall in its health and hospital system, which will send shockwaves through multiple systems of care, including county hospitals. Again, our nonprofit, government, and philanthropic partners must pivot, reorganize, and respond to a massive external crisis that threatens the health and well-being of the entire community. As we lurch towards another period of insecurity, how can we as sector leaders manage the changes around the corner?
Managing Change
A lot of the work I do, directly or indirectly, is about the management of change. Change occurs in layers, rippling through us personally, within our teams, across our organizations, and throughout the community we serve. Change management is the overall term for how we harness change, planned or unplanned, in a way that mitigates harm and leverages the moment before us.
When I work through the lens of change, I recognize that I am holding a space for both grief and loss as well as possibility and opportunity. Change provides us with an opening to push ourselves, ask good questions, and recommit to the relationships we need to collectively address the challenge before us.
Perhaps one of the first tasks of change management is thinking about how we take care of ourselves. The way we show up as leaders during times of change begins with personal regulation and care. What daily practices can you commit to that help regulate your nervous system and allow you to be fully present in both your personal and professional relationships? Examples might include taking a walk after dinner, pausing for deep breaths in your car before meetings, or setting aside intentional time for reflection.
Within our teams and organizations, change management looks different; the focus is on culture, communication, compassion, courage, and collaboration. Everyone needs different things during times of change. Our job is to listen, demonstrate transparency, be flexible and willing to adjust, and ultimately to move the work forward together.
Crises Around The Corner
As a leader, it is important to look ahead. What is coming down the road? What strategies should I implement to prepare my organization for these changes? Who else do I need on the governance team and/or professional staff team to support us during this time of change?
Change also requires external communication to our served communities and investors. This is a moment to draw on these relationships and engage them as collaborators with you in what comes next. Include those voices in your strategic vision for the work. This will not only strengthen those connections but also help clarify the issues you should speak up about, as they are tied to your values and overall strategy.
Change efforts have many places where our efforts can get waylaid or halted. Generally, this comes from a poorly defined strategy that is disconnected from organizational culture, setting unrealistic expectations, being too rigid in the process, poor communication, failing to identify and address resistance, and not celebrating small wins along the way. We all have different relationships to and with change. Moments of change are opportunities for growth. Change tests us and dare I say it, "changes" us.
"Lurching from one unprecedented event to another" can have a bewildering effect. While some folks may choose to tune out and disengage, as leaders of organizations, we have no such luxury. While we don't always know what is coming around the corner, we do know that effective change management will be necessary to meet the challenges of the moment. Our communities deserve nothing less than our best.
