I deliver a lot of presentations on chaos and change management and how to become a quick-change artist. It is important to recognize that there is a difference between change and transition. Unless we get through the transition, change isn’t going to stick. Change can happen overnight, it’s immediate, situational, or mechanical.
Change is often external or physical. It may be that you are getting a new boss, moving to a new site, learning about a new policy, new law, or a new rule. Transition is more personal, more psychological, more internal. It’s our concerns, under the breath comments, foot dragging, apprehension, anxiety; it’s the frustration.
Become a quick-change artist by setting goals and taking action, by developing the right image, by mastering time management, by continuing your education, by exceeding internal and external customers’ expectations, by putting yourself in the right frame of mind, and by asking questions and making suggestions. You can thrive, rather than just survive, in this rapidly changing world.