This post is by guest blogger Rhonda Young. Rhonda is a change leader at an alternative energy organization that had jetted up the growth curve only to be faced with difficult industry challenges that recently caused a reduction in force by nearly 30%. As the company makes its way through this transition, she is helping leaders, front-line managers, and associates find the lessons to learn.
Prior to her work at First Solar, she independently consulted on organizational change and learning for several years, and served as an internal organizational effectiveness specialist for a global manufacturing firm. Her enthusiasm for learning and working with organizations drives her commitment to push the boundaries of how learning and change add value in the eyes of senior leaders.
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There’s change — and then there’s change. We are faced with so much change on a daily basis we almost forget just how much of it there is. There are changes we strive for, changes we try to avoid, changes that snap us back into place, and even changes that go unnoticed. We are no strangers to change, and there’s no lack of thought leadership, research, or philosophy on the topic. Surely, by now we should be able to work through change more productively, right? But even welcome changes sometimes throw us for a loop.
I could give you tips on how to frame the reality in a way that puts you in control. I could tell you a million adages about good things that come of desperate situations. I can explain the dialogue that’s needed to help people move through the stages of change. I’ve used all of these techniques in my personal life, as well as professionally, with varying degrees of success. I would like to offer up a new way of thinking about change itself as a phenomenon to appreciate, rather than try to manage, endure, contain, tolerate, or minimize.
Change can be the catalyst that pushes us outside of boundaries; it shapes who we are and maybe even who we are to become. Every change presents an opportunity to choose how we respond; therefore, every change carries with it a lesson. If we can learn how to navigate change while capturing the lessons that each teaches us, we’ve mastered one of the most useful skills this life requires.
So if you are longing for a change, then be ready. If you are running from a change, then face it. If you are happy where you are, then embrace it. Ride life’s highs and lows. Rejoice in triumphs; find peace in chaos; solace in good-byes; strength in vulnerability. Rather than attempt to plan for circumstances that are truly outside of your control, I would like to propose a new challenge – let change lead you.
