Using change management tools for your own success

Project Manager, Change Manager, Transformation Manager. No matter what title you call yourself, or what is the output of what you are delivering, the vast majority of you have one thing in common. You're implementing something new, and that 'thing' is a change.

Having attended the great session run by Jaspal Kaur-Griffin for the APM London Network on Mastering Change, it was a reminder to me that while we spend time guiding others through change using frameworks such as the Kübler-Ross curve and ADKAR model, we often don’t realise that we can apply these to our own personal career journeys.

When change experts want change

Many of you might be thinking about the next step in your career, whether it’s a promotion, moving to a new area within project management, or a new job. This is hardly surprising, as the Association for Project Management (APM) salary survey highlighted that 32% of respondents were considering a job change within the next 12 months.

In professional settings, we spend a considerable amount of our career helping others through the change curve, while sometimes failing to recognise we're walking along our own curve. The key is broadening the usage of these change management frameworks into personal settings to help you make the changes you want to achieve.

Reflect back on a moment in your career when you wanted change. Perhaps you successfully delivered a complex, high-profile project. The stakeholders are happy, the benefits are being realised and you're receiving well-deserved recognition. Yet that feeling of accomplishment might feel short-lived as you find yourself asking 'What's next?' While contemplating your next career move, you might recognise your own emotions on the Kübler-Ross curve — denial that you need a change, anger at feeling stuck, making excises with yourself about staying 'just a bit longer', or perhaps you've reached acceptance that it's time for something new.

When the Change Manager becomes the changed

This was exactly where I found myself after delivering multiple successful projects. Despite having a great job with fantastic opportunities ahead of me, I knew I needed a change. Taking a big leap, I moved 8,000 miles away to China and Hong Kong. As I navigated this massive change, I experienced every stage of the change curve — from disbelief at actually making such a bold move, through to frustration at learning the cultural differences in job hunting, to moments of despair when I seriously considered returning home. Eventually, I reached integration by building a strong network, securing a job and discovering new opportunities available to me.

Using change management tools for your personal success

If you're wondering what areas you might want to change in your career but are feeling lost or overwhelmed, start with my Project Manager Career Audit. This quiz examines each aspect of your professional life to understand what aspects of change might benefit you most.

Once you've identified areas for change, acknowledge where you are on your own change curve. Are you in denial about your career satisfaction? Feeling angry about lack of recognition for your hard work? Making excuses to stay in a role that no longer challenges you? Or have you accepted that it's time for a change and started exploring new possibilities?

Then, just as you would with any project, take a structured approach using the ADKAR model:

Awareness:

How clear are you about your career goals?
What needs to change to achieve them?

Desire:

What's motivating you to make this change?
Why is it important now?

Knowledge:

What new skills or insights would help you progress?

Ability:

How can you translate your current expertise into new opportunities?

Reinforcement:

What support systems do you need to sustain your progress?

These three tools work together as your personal change strategy - the Career Audit shows you what to change, the Change Curve helps you understand your journey and ADKAR provides your roadmap for making it happen.

Executing your change plan

Just as you'd never expect a major organisational change to happen overnight, these changes can take time. The same principles apply — break it into small chunks, celebrate small wins, expect some resistance even from yourself and keep your end goal in sight.

Remember too that change rarely happens in isolation. Engage with coaches, mentors, colleagues and professional networks who can support and guide you along the way.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, 'Be the change you wish to see in the world.' For project managers, this means not just leading change in our organisations, but embracing it for our own goals. The tools and expertise you already have are boosters for your journey, so now is the time to utilise these powerful tools.