Change: A Year-End Professional Reflection

No matter how many times people successfully navigate it, the one constant in dealing with change for many people is how difficult it is for them. Change, and all its dynamic and innumerable meanings, from tragic to magic, life-ending to life-creating, is challenging. Even when it’s for the blatant betterment of a situation, for whatever reason, historical or sentimental, change is a challenge. Change takes time to be absorbed and accepted, but with enough time, information, and communication, said change becomes the new constant. This new normal can not only be accepted but often appreciated and embraced.

So, the challenge and question is that even undoubtedly knowing when change is going to provide value and enrichment, how do we provide stability, space, and grace during this nebulous period of transition until the change transforms into the new system, belief, way, and or current now? Then compound that with the fact that some changes are not beneficial for all or even most. There may need to be a mourning of loss, a significant shift in reality, and acceptance of this new unknown. How do you give the proper “space and grace,” and for how long? Even after successfully navigating the most challenging year in the history of education in 2020, when similar issues resurfaced just a year later, it was as if the memories of the very recent and historic changes and overcoming them had never been realized. So, how do you retrain the brain? How do you remind people who have, throughout their entire life, accepted and navigated change successfully (whether professional or personal) that this new change will ultimately be another success?

A lesson learned for me was reinforcing in people that change is a continuous and normal process. To use much less emotion and turn change into the new normal. Remove the overwhelming view of change as new, frightening, and feared, and into the same old routine changes that we have successfully dealt with decades ago to just weeks ago. Making the change the new constant and prevailing mindset. When change is not seen and is just routine, there are no new revisions, adjustments, modifications, or variations, making that within itself the new change. Remind yourself that the reactions and emotions displayed by others when dealing with change are a constant that you yourself already dealt with in the past, and you will once again successfully manage and support others in the now. Your reaction to another’s reaction is key in the process. Change your view on change. Keep it cool, constant, and consistent. Others may not be able to change their reaction to change, but you can. Change is not the challenge, your reaction to it is.

Ryan