Winds of Change

Is it just me or does this January seem different? Yes I know this is the month where people make and break resolutions, get divorced, are made redundant or quit their jobs, but this year there seems to be even more change afoot.

Maybe there is a backlog of change because of the economic cloud that's been hovering for the past few years. Not being able to sell a house can make a person feel very much tied to their current set of circumstances - marriage, job, location, for example. Maybe we are about to see a few years worth of change suddenly unleashed.

For the second January in as many years I have a new boss. No, I haven't changed jobs, I just have a new boss due to the latest round of musical chairs. The last time this happened I was feeling very apprehensive about my new modus operandihttp://millermuses.blogspot.com/2011/01/every-days-school-day.html

As it turned out it was probably with good reason, as I had a tough time re-establishing myself in the 'new camp' - some of which was probably my own doing, as at times it may have appeared as if I had taken my toys home and decided not to play, coupled with my inability to flex my style sufficiently for my new 'accountant-shaped' bosses. Yes I am an accountant, a Chartered Accountant at that, but I am shaped more like a.... a creative, people-person with accountant-like leanings;-) Not so this year - no frickin way. For one thing, I am feeling more positive about the change. I have gotten to know these new accountants and I quite like them... now. And for another I am clearer about my own personal and professional agenda, what I want to achieve ths year - no more passive meandering, waiting for things to happen.

I keep saying this and I'll say it again, this year is going to be a BIG year for people in the UK. I can feel the winds of change.

Every day's a School Day

I always thought that I was a glutton for change.  I thrive on the learning that comes from taking the experience from situation number 1, applying it to situation number 2, seeing whether it gives the expected result and altering my approach accordingly.  Change may as well be my middle name.  Or so I thought, until a recent reorganisation left me feeling less than positive about the new landscaoe that was being drawn.

In a challenging, new corporate environment I had been merrily filling a sheryl-shaped void for the last 18 months, bringing light and delight to one and all (ok, maybe not all).  But suddenly it felt as though my world, and everything familiar was being turned on its head.  Things were changing and I was no longer calling the shots when it came to my place in that world.  Not sure where exactly I was, or presently am, on the change curve, but my initial reaction was to fight this feeling of a lack of control, with the need to take control.  So I insisted on certain outcomes, and even considered resigning altogether - in short, hurling my toys out of the pram and onto the nursery floor, hitting a few of the other children and one of the nursery teachers on the way down.

A wise owl told me to be patient, don't do anything rash, give people time before making snap judgements.  And they were absolutely right.  Why I made such a fuss in the first place I really don't know.  And even if my worst fears come to fruition, I can always do something about it.  So worrying about the change is surely wasted energy.  This I have learnt today.

Change is Way Better Than a Rest

Is that really true? If change is better than rest, or if any change is better than bad status quo (discuss), why do people (still) avoid change?

I started a new job some weeks ago, and I have confirmed what I suspected and posted at the time. I heart change. Or at least, I love the results that change can bring about. Seeing a positive impact because of something you have done, said, or how you behave is seriously addictive. I believe its this 'making a difference' that we all crave, or at least trot out. Which, out of interest, I have been citing in job interviews for the past 20 years, near enough. So I assume it must be true (discuss). So much so, that I am also coming to realise that it probably doesn't even matter if one job or company is better than the next for me, because I feel able to change enough variables if something isn't working. Plus, the thing that really floats my boat is busting a cap in the status quo, so it is almost irrelevant what the starting point is. All that matters is that my contribution makes a positive impact in a way agreed with my employer's objectives.

I'm not saying all change is rosy. And I'm not saying I'm a robot who could work in any type of environment per se. That would be foolishly naive. And at times, I have found the degree of change, the need to assimilate new information, ways of doing things, and making sense of it all quite challenging. Perhaps there is a future post about our ability to deal with change as we get old(er).

But for me, I have confirmed that I find change and challenge totally energising. A pleasure, not a pain. A delight not a chore. Something to embrace and not to fear. After all, its inevitable, isn't it?

Breaking Up is Never Easy

No, this post isn't another autopsy of Katie and Peter. For a few years now, I have started to liken a lot of things in life to relationships. I have a strange feeling that this may coincide with my recent discovery, some might say obsession, of Sex And The City. My assay of SATC and its impact on modern every day life - women, men, friendship, cocktail menus - must be saved for another day.

I'm rambling here about change, and why it is so difficult to do - either to oneself or to someone else. I realise there are a plethora of models, hypotheses etc on the subject but I still don't quite get it. Is it really just about comfort zone, dislike of being changed, fear of the unknown, difficulty of learning new things, not believing that the trade off of the new benefits are worth losing the old? I used to believe one or all of those reasons but now I'm really not sure.

Recently, I broke up with my employer. Why was it such a difficult decision? Generally I have always sought change because I believe it is key to becoming a bigger, and more fulfilled person. There is, however, something about throwing the baby out with the bathwater, that comes with change. Just like an episode of SATC (sorry), when SJP has to finish with a guy who has "performance issues", she is actually more upset about ending her new friendship with his mother. When something changes, you undoubtedly lose something. The baby in the bathwater with a job might be the people, the short commute, the perks, your uber-cool boss. I mean, who would ever be able to leave the Googleplex, with its free dry-cleaning, gourmet meals and swimming pools?

Is it really down to that - fear of losing more than you gain? Is it really just a logical, even if subconscious, thought process that weighs up the old vs the new. I have no qualms admitting that I am a hopeless optimist. Now, don't get me wrong, I take a very analytical, rational approach to decisions. But I tend to err on the side of "this will turn out OK because ....... and even if it isn't, then I will ....."

So perhaps positivity plays a big part in how people deal with change (I think Seligman might agree), and why I tend to embrace the new. That, and the knowledge that I am in control of my destiny, whatever happens.

More on change another day