by Dr. Cecil Clements (19th February 2013)
Almost 25 years ago, I was in a college that was going through change. It was part of a larger group of colleges and they had decided that this particular college needed to close and the students were going to be taken into other colleges, as this college was not doing too well. I remember this college president going to the board and making a strong case for keeping the college open – how thy could get more admissions, and so on. A couple of days later the board took a decision to close the college. And they asked him to handle that change, to make sure that students were transitioned out into other colleges, close down this college, sell the assets and finally sell the property. I was in the college for about 6 months during this time.
I was amazed at the way Dr. Ragsdale, the president, handled change. He had such a great attitude. I know that it meant so much to him because this was a college that he had studied in himself and then returned to be president. One could see how important it was for him. Yet, there was no bitterness, nothing in his demeanor that said, “This is a terrible thing that I’m having to do.” He was so encouraging, inspired us to recognize it as a positive step forward. I have never forgotten that in the last 25 years.
Change is inevitable in everything that we do, more so in the companies that we are in, the firms that we work for. Change comes and how we embrace it and what part we play in it, is very important. Whether you like it or not, change is always the death of something. It’s the end of something and the beginning of something else – Stopping The Old and Starting Anew, whether it is a new phase in your life, a new job situation, a new portfolio, a new role, a new responsibility. Change has to do with stopping something and starting something else. And like all things that involve death, you need to have closure to be able to move on. That is why we have funerals because they bring closure to us. But it also brings with it a whole set of other parameters that we need to work with – grief, a resistance, disbelief that this could happen. All of these areas need to be handled.
How you and I handle change will determine how well we are able to face the world in which we live in. I was given a book ‘Your Job Survival Guide: A Manual for Thriving in Change’ by Gregory Shea and Robert Gunther. In it the authors talk about creating a space to grieve in the midst of change. They talk about a junior executive who was sent to a branch with the order to close it down. This meant moving the work to headquarters because it made sense financially. But everybody knew that emotions would run high. But they tell us how the change agent came to the branch office, assembled all hands and announced his mission and a timeline of a few months. He also announced the formation of a cross-functional, cross level project team with 3 objectives:
Almost 25 years ago, I was in a college that was going through change. It was part of a larger group of colleges and they had decided that this particular college needed to close and the students were going to be taken into other colleges, as this college was not doing too well. I remember this college president going to the board and making a strong case for keeping the college open – how thy could get more admissions, and so on. A couple of days later the board took a decision to close the college. And they asked him to handle that change, to make sure that students were transitioned out into other colleges, close down this college, sell the assets and finally sell the property. I was in the college for about 6 months during this time.
I was amazed at the way Dr. Ragsdale, the president, handled change. He had such a great attitude. I know that it meant so much to him because this was a college that he had studied in himself and then returned to be president. One could see how important it was for him. Yet, there was no bitterness, nothing in his demeanor that said, “This is a terrible thing that I’m having to do.” He was so encouraging, inspired us to recognize it as a positive step forward. I have never forgotten that in the last 25 years.
Change is inevitable in everything that we do, more so in the companies that we are in, the firms that we work for. Change comes and how we embrace it and what part we play in it, is very important. Whether you like it or not, change is always the death of something. It’s the end of something and the beginning of something else – Stopping The Old and Starting Anew, whether it is a new phase in your life, a new job situation, a new portfolio, a new role, a new responsibility. Change has to do with stopping something and starting something else. And like all things that involve death, you need to have closure to be able to move on. That is why we have funerals because they bring closure to us. But it also brings with it a whole set of other parameters that we need to work with – grief, a resistance, disbelief that this could happen. All of these areas need to be handled.
How you and I handle change will determine how well we are able to face the world in which we live in. I was given a book ‘Your Job Survival Guide: A Manual for Thriving in Change’ by Gregory Shea and Robert Gunther. In it the authors talk about creating a space to grieve in the midst of change. They talk about a junior executive who was sent to a branch with the order to close it down. This meant moving the work to headquarters because it made sense financially. But everybody knew that emotions would run high. But they tell us how the change agent came to the branch office, assembled all hands and announced his mission and a timeline of a few months. He also announced the formation of a cross-functional, cross level project team with 3 objectives:
- Close the office on time, on budget.
- Accomplish the objective in accordance with firm values and practices.
- Arrange for suitable acknowledgement and celebration over the upcoming months to honor what had transpired in the office over the years as well as the people who had made it all possible.
The third objective came as a surprise to those gathered, as did the budget set aside to accomplish it. Message delivered through symbol and deed. We have to go, but things happened here that warrant recounting and celebration before we move on.
The junior executive accomplished his mission, including drawing a much larger than expected number of employees from the branch to corporate.
He also goes on to talk about a nurse manager who had to close down the facility of a larger hospital and how, at the end of it, the nurse manager had a celebration day where they partied and talked about all that had happened and transpired in the time that they had run this facility. Then the surprise was that somebody had brought in an electric saw and cut the nurses’ station into pieces and allowed people to walk away with little mementos of wood or a relic of the nurses’ station – all to show how important it was not only to be able to accept the change, but to do it with a great attitude and say, “There are things to celebrate in what has happened, but it’s time to let go. Let’s pick up a piece and hold it as a memory; not make it into a shrine but to remind us that we were part of something” and then be able to move on.
I don’t know how you handle change in your own environment. I was reading an article by Bill Cole and Rick Seaman entitled, ‘Managing Change in Your Business: The Attitude Bell Curve And Mental Toughness As Business’. They say, “If you are leading change in your business organization, know for sure that there will be people who will be resistant and there will be people who are supportive. But, the Attitude Bell Curve puts those percentages as very small. 15% people will be resistant to change and 15% will be supportive. Don’t concentrate on them. Concentrate on the 70% who are neutral. If you can get them to move, you can change. Don’t concentrate on the resistant because they can’t be convinced. Don’t concentrate on the supportive because they don’t need convincing. If you can get the 70% to move, then you will be able to bring change into your area.
The Attitude Bell Curve is so important.”
I don’t know where you are this morning, whether change is happening to you, whether you are initiating it, whether you’re the recipient, whether you have a choice? But everything has to do with your attitude. If maybe you are in a place where you need to change, maybe a job change at a critical juncture and you’re worried about it, maybe you just need to take a good look at it and say, “Okay, if change is coming my way, then let me look at the last few years. What has happened?” maybe your job has helped you move from a 2-wheeler to a 4-wheeler. Maybe it has helped you move from a degree to a MBA, from a rented accommodation to having your own place, start a family or even send a child to college. Look at those things; celebrate it. But after celebrating it, turn towards where you are going and say, “I’m going to embrace this change.” Intent is so important in change.
I loved an article I read by Vineet Nayar writing for Harvard Business Review entitled ‘The Power Of Intent’. He says, “Any CEO or leader who wants to propel a business forward (or I would say wants to propel even your own life forward) must be certain – and communicate – that the intent is unambiguous.” You need intent at any stage of life to be able to walk confidently.
Our Holy Book gives us a wonderful line that says, “God has wonderful plans and purposes for us.”
When we look at changes in our lives, they are not the ends. They are just commas or semi-colons that God has placed there for us to change a little direction for another place, a wonderful place of success and contentment and joy that He has for us.
So if change is part of the agenda in your life at the moment, let’s embrace it.
Let me pray with you. Almighty God. I ask for a blessing on each one on this call. If they are in places where change is happening, either as initiators or recipients, give to each one wisdom to be able to know how to navigate change. Help us to have good intent, knowing that the change will lead us to even better pastures, better areas because you are involved in our lives and we thank you for that assurance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The junior executive accomplished his mission, including drawing a much larger than expected number of employees from the branch to corporate.
He also goes on to talk about a nurse manager who had to close down the facility of a larger hospital and how, at the end of it, the nurse manager had a celebration day where they partied and talked about all that had happened and transpired in the time that they had run this facility. Then the surprise was that somebody had brought in an electric saw and cut the nurses’ station into pieces and allowed people to walk away with little mementos of wood or a relic of the nurses’ station – all to show how important it was not only to be able to accept the change, but to do it with a great attitude and say, “There are things to celebrate in what has happened, but it’s time to let go. Let’s pick up a piece and hold it as a memory; not make it into a shrine but to remind us that we were part of something” and then be able to move on.
I don’t know how you handle change in your own environment. I was reading an article by Bill Cole and Rick Seaman entitled, ‘Managing Change in Your Business: The Attitude Bell Curve And Mental Toughness As Business’. They say, “If you are leading change in your business organization, know for sure that there will be people who will be resistant and there will be people who are supportive. But, the Attitude Bell Curve puts those percentages as very small. 15% people will be resistant to change and 15% will be supportive. Don’t concentrate on them. Concentrate on the 70% who are neutral. If you can get them to move, you can change. Don’t concentrate on the resistant because they can’t be convinced. Don’t concentrate on the supportive because they don’t need convincing. If you can get the 70% to move, then you will be able to bring change into your area.
The Attitude Bell Curve is so important.”
I don’t know where you are this morning, whether change is happening to you, whether you are initiating it, whether you’re the recipient, whether you have a choice? But everything has to do with your attitude. If maybe you are in a place where you need to change, maybe a job change at a critical juncture and you’re worried about it, maybe you just need to take a good look at it and say, “Okay, if change is coming my way, then let me look at the last few years. What has happened?” maybe your job has helped you move from a 2-wheeler to a 4-wheeler. Maybe it has helped you move from a degree to a MBA, from a rented accommodation to having your own place, start a family or even send a child to college. Look at those things; celebrate it. But after celebrating it, turn towards where you are going and say, “I’m going to embrace this change.” Intent is so important in change.
I loved an article I read by Vineet Nayar writing for Harvard Business Review entitled ‘The Power Of Intent’. He says, “Any CEO or leader who wants to propel a business forward (or I would say wants to propel even your own life forward) must be certain – and communicate – that the intent is unambiguous.” You need intent at any stage of life to be able to walk confidently.
Our Holy Book gives us a wonderful line that says, “God has wonderful plans and purposes for us.”
When we look at changes in our lives, they are not the ends. They are just commas or semi-colons that God has placed there for us to change a little direction for another place, a wonderful place of success and contentment and joy that He has for us.
So if change is part of the agenda in your life at the moment, let’s embrace it.
Let me pray with you. Almighty God. I ask for a blessing on each one on this call. If they are in places where change is happening, either as initiators or recipients, give to each one wisdom to be able to know how to navigate change. Help us to have good intent, knowing that the change will lead us to even better pastures, better areas because you are involved in our lives and we thank you for that assurance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Resources
- Dr. Cecil Clements - "Change? Fear Not" - http://corporatecapsule.blogspot.in/2012/04/change-fear-not.html
- Gregory Shea & Robert Gunther, "Your Job Survival Guide: A Manual for Thriving in Change."
- Dr. John P. Ragsdale, the President of the college I was talking about.
- Bill Cole, MS, MA and Rick Seaman, MBA, "Managing Change In Your Business:The Attitude Bell Curve And Mental Toughness As Business Tools." http://www.mentalgamecoach.com/articles/ManagingChange.html
- Vineet Nayar, "The Power of Intent." http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/nayar/2013/02/the-power-of-intent.html
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