Like many, I was heartbroken to see Ukrainians fleeing for their lives when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24th, 2022. After two World Wars and many other localized wars, it’s clear to me no one truly wins in war, as there ends up being loss of life on both sides. And that’s just one of the short term impacts. There’s even more loss when the long term impacts of war are considered such as the effects of trauma, drain of resources, bitterness and resentment from acts of war, and more.
As change agents and leaders, it can feel like we’re powerless at times to do something about a situation. Maybe the situation is:
Russia invading Ukraine, climate change, school shootings in America, or some other large challenge the world or your country is facing
At work
Your child’s behavior
In your family
With your partner or a friend
Whatever the situation you’re struggling with, how much do the below thoughts resonate?
“I’m just one person, what can I do?”
“I don’t have the power to do anything about this”, “I can’t do anything about this”, or “I need leadership to…”
“I don’t have any influence”
“I can’t make a difference” or “I can’t change this”
“I don’t have a choice” or “I don’t have options”
If one or more of the above thoughts are resonating, this is an indication you’re feeling powerless in that situation. And though you may be feeling this way, what if you actually do have power and can do something about it?
At this point you may be thinking, “Well what can one person do or what can I do?” Well, just look at what Vladimir Putin has done. If one person can cause so much chaos and destruction, what impact can one person have if their efforts are put towards peace, collaboration, and non-violent solutions?
In the situations mentioned above, maybe what you can do is:
Find a way to help the Ukrainian refugees, assess your carbon footprint and take action to reduce it, stop buying from companies who support gun advocacy groups, or become an activist
Identify how you can influence stakeholders at work
Figure out the root cause(s) of your child’s behavior
Look at your role in the family dynamic
Get clear on and clarify your boundaries with your partner or friend
So for your particular situation, what can you do about it? And the next time you’re feeling helpless, remember the power one person can have in this world.
Call to Action
Having trouble finding your power and figuring out what you can do about a situation? Reach out to Rosanne so you can move from powerless to action.
Using the comments feature, what situation did you initially feel powerless about and then found a way to take action?
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About the Author: Rosanne Essiambre helps change agents and departments in one-on-one and group settings to be seen, be heard, and be effective in bringing about change in the organization and/or in their personal lives. She provides consulting and facilitation to organizations to improve communications and collaboration, smooth out the change / transformation journey, get to the root cause of an issue so it can be solved for good, improve processes, and implement successful lessons learned. And she conducts workshops, trains, and speaks on Energy Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Being a Change Agent and more. If you or your organization could use support with your change effort or some inspiration, contact Rosanne for a complimentary consultation. Rosanne is a Change Agent Coach, Facilitator, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Management / Continuous Improvement Consultant, Speaker, and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner with more than 20 years experience working on a variety of transformations across a diverse set of industries both domestically and internationally, while continuously improving herself.