This week’s election was emotionally challenging for everyone, no matter which candidates or positions you were supporting. The outcome for some has been positive. For others it has been unsettling, including many in the nonprofit community.

People within your organization are in different places today than they were a week ago. We are all in the midst of great change. There is no certainty about where things will lead us, nor of the necessary steps along the way.

Your task as a manager is to recognize the turmoil within your organization, at an individual level, and also alongside an assessment of the driving forces that are compelling change more broadly.

Organizational consultant William Bridges developed a model of the human side of change that I’ve always found helpful. The model looks at the three stages people experience during times of change: (i) Endings (of what currently is), followed by a time of (ii) Transition toward (iii) New Beginnings. It’s valuable to have all employees understand the model.

Where are we now? Is it an ending? Possibly. Surely it’s a time of transition. But the new beginning may still be some time off.

As a manager I learned that different people will always be at different places on the Bridges curve at different times. A good leader understands where employees are on the curve, and anticipates the stage in which they are headed.

I always found it important to validate staff concerns by talking about the challenges and paradoxes that we all face. By painting a path that acknowledges their stress but offers optimism and confidence, you can inspire employees to attack new realities with energy and enthusiasm.

  • Have you assessed the mood of your staff in the aftermath of the election?

  • Can you map their position on the Bridges model? Or your own?