The year had begun well, full of high hopes and a clear plan. As we have been doing for the past 5 years, I had jotted down my short- and long-term goals for the year and detailed it out over a long conversation with Mahah Mirza, who has been my closest friend for over 2 decades. This was our way of checking and balancing the past, reflecting and moving forward to the future.
My goals for the year included having my parents visit me in South Australia, Mahah and I travelling to Morocco together and a road trip along the legendary Pacific Highway, between Brisbane and Sydney. My fear to overcome for the year was a significant notch in the belt for a person on the path to becoming fiercely independent, I wanted to travel alone and enjoy it.
Then, from a small village in Wuhan, China, a global pandemic raised its head and stopped the world on its tracks. The international borders closed and travel between Bangladesh and Australia stopped except for mercy flights bringing stranded citizens home or bereaving relatives back to attend a death in the family. I lived alone in a country far from home.
The city I live in turned eerie as we moved to work from home. Thousands from the retail, education and hospitality industries lost their jobs as local businesses shut down. Local food banks opened up. Numbers of active cases and deaths started to rise and the across the world we grieved for our lives that would never be the same again.
Time started to move too fast and at the same time too slow for me, as days and nights melted together. I remember shifting from "it's just another flu" to having a full-fledged panic attack standing in front of grocery store aisles with no food. I remember shifting from early morning runs in the park to days where I barely left the bed. The comfort in solitude that I had wanted to achieve so badly was becoming a reality as I began to prefer my solitary confinement over the prospect of spending time with friends. I was able to keep my head above water, but only just.
After spending days in stagnancy, I went into a productivity overdrive to try and control the parts of my life that I still could. I diligently scheduled my days by the hour, filling up weeks with Pinterest- worthy projects and gourmet meals for one. Reading books, listening to podcasts, talking to friends and family online, I was doing everything listed in wellness websites to stay "positive and productive". Even then, I knew that I needed to do more than just wade the waters, waiting for change.
To manage change, you must be able to recognise when change is required. I needed the right tools to better understand my emotions and actions and effectively lead myself and others through the waves of change and clearly steer a path. So, when the opportunity arose, I enrolled in the Change Leadership Certificate course offered by the East West Center, where I had been a fellow with the Asia Pacific Leadership Program. I invited Mahah to join, so we could learn together and be accountable to each other.
The Change Leadership course offered many moments that lit up my brain. I was encouraged to examine my behaviour, coaxed to look at my goal under a microscope and forced to plan forward-facing actions. One such topic that made me reflect beyond the scope of the coursework was the William Bridges Transition Model of change. It provided me with a better understanding of the emotions that I was exhibiting (often un-willingly) during the early days of the pandemic. It also helped me understand the actions of others around me.
The Bridges Transition model explains the three phases that human beings experience when a change takes place in their life. It clarifies the psychological effect of change and helps organisations and individuals understand and more effectively manage and work through the personal and human side of change.
Change causes transition and the transition starts with an ENDING, this is phase one. When a change occurs, some things come to an end, or things are done differently. These endings can be painful and confusing. It isn't the change that we resist but the losses and endings that we experience. Evidently, during this, there will be a period of disruption and disorientation.
If people are not able to let go of the past, they will unnecessarily resist the new situation. It is thus essential to embrace and undertake an ending process that acknowledges, celebrates, preserves the artefacts of the past. Allowing time for a clean ending will gain support and commitment from those affected by the change. If the ending happens well, then, we can move to the next phase easily.
The next phase is the NEUTRAL ZONE. This is the wilderness between what was and what will be. During this period, we separate ourselves from the old, and it's easy to feel restless, lost and impatient, wanting to do something and imagining that nothing's happening.
It is crucial to help people move through the neutral zone as soon as possible as there may be an increased level of anxiety and lowered productivity during this period. People can feel vulnerable and lost. Thus, they need to be provided with a solid sense of direction, reminded of their goals, and encouraged to talk about what they are feeling. This period can also be a time of creativity if shorter-term objectives or outcomes are taken up. This is the time for sorting out and getting the right emotional and attitudinal responses for success in the new situation.
Finally, the third phase, the NEW BEGINNING. This is where we finally allow ourselves to get on with the new. For this phase, Bridges talks about the 4Ps: Purpose, Picture, Plan and Part.
PURPOSE is the 'why we are doing this?'; PICTURE is the shared vision of what it will look like; PLAN is the detailed plan for getting there one step at a time, and PART is all about giving people a part to play that builds ownership and buy-in.
The new beginning is a time of acceptance, openness and energy. People start feeling good about the change and positive about the future. It is important to remember that not everyone will reach this stage at the same time and that people can slip back to previous stages if they think that the change is not right for them. As people begin to adopt the change, it is essential to help them sustain it.
The Change Leadership course led us through a variety of resources and tools that we can use to effectively work through the three phases for any change that we may face. Change is situational and external, whereas transitions are internal: it's what happens in our minds as we go through change. Change can happen very quickly, while transition occurs more slowly. As a leader, it is vital to understand this "human variable" of change, to be able to lead others though it in a productive and meaningful way.
So, my head is still reeling from all the changes that are taking place around the world. I am still living in pieces as my body is in Australia, but my mind is in Bangladesh with my family, where the impact of COVID-19 is rising in alarming rates. However, this Change Leadership course has given me the tools to transition with grace. It has helped me to understand myself, my goals and path forward better. I find myself now, in a stronger state, to be able to mourn the losses, take my time, but come out in front when the waves break.
My goals for the year included having my parents visit me in South Australia, Mahah and I travelling to Morocco together and a road trip along the legendary Pacific Highway, between Brisbane and Sydney. My fear to overcome for the year was a significant notch in the belt for a person on the path to becoming fiercely independent, I wanted to travel alone and enjoy it.
Then, from a small village in Wuhan, China, a global pandemic raised its head and stopped the world on its tracks. The international borders closed and travel between Bangladesh and Australia stopped except for mercy flights bringing stranded citizens home or bereaving relatives back to attend a death in the family. I lived alone in a country far from home.
The city I live in turned eerie as we moved to work from home. Thousands from the retail, education and hospitality industries lost their jobs as local businesses shut down. Local food banks opened up. Numbers of active cases and deaths started to rise and the across the world we grieved for our lives that would never be the same again.
Time started to move too fast and at the same time too slow for me, as days and nights melted together. I remember shifting from "it's just another flu" to having a full-fledged panic attack standing in front of grocery store aisles with no food. I remember shifting from early morning runs in the park to days where I barely left the bed. The comfort in solitude that I had wanted to achieve so badly was becoming a reality as I began to prefer my solitary confinement over the prospect of spending time with friends. I was able to keep my head above water, but only just.
After spending days in stagnancy, I went into a productivity overdrive to try and control the parts of my life that I still could. I diligently scheduled my days by the hour, filling up weeks with Pinterest- worthy projects and gourmet meals for one. Reading books, listening to podcasts, talking to friends and family online, I was doing everything listed in wellness websites to stay "positive and productive". Even then, I knew that I needed to do more than just wade the waters, waiting for change.
To manage change, you must be able to recognise when change is required. I needed the right tools to better understand my emotions and actions and effectively lead myself and others through the waves of change and clearly steer a path. So, when the opportunity arose, I enrolled in the Change Leadership Certificate course offered by the East West Center, where I had been a fellow with the Asia Pacific Leadership Program. I invited Mahah to join, so we could learn together and be accountable to each other.
The Change Leadership course offered many moments that lit up my brain. I was encouraged to examine my behaviour, coaxed to look at my goal under a microscope and forced to plan forward-facing actions. One such topic that made me reflect beyond the scope of the coursework was the William Bridges Transition Model of change. It provided me with a better understanding of the emotions that I was exhibiting (often un-willingly) during the early days of the pandemic. It also helped me understand the actions of others around me.
The Bridges Transition model explains the three phases that human beings experience when a change takes place in their life. It clarifies the psychological effect of change and helps organisations and individuals understand and more effectively manage and work through the personal and human side of change.
Change causes transition and the transition starts with an ENDING, this is phase one. When a change occurs, some things come to an end, or things are done differently. These endings can be painful and confusing. It isn't the change that we resist but the losses and endings that we experience. Evidently, during this, there will be a period of disruption and disorientation.
If people are not able to let go of the past, they will unnecessarily resist the new situation. It is thus essential to embrace and undertake an ending process that acknowledges, celebrates, preserves the artefacts of the past. Allowing time for a clean ending will gain support and commitment from those affected by the change. If the ending happens well, then, we can move to the next phase easily.
The next phase is the NEUTRAL ZONE. This is the wilderness between what was and what will be. During this period, we separate ourselves from the old, and it's easy to feel restless, lost and impatient, wanting to do something and imagining that nothing's happening.
It is crucial to help people move through the neutral zone as soon as possible as there may be an increased level of anxiety and lowered productivity during this period. People can feel vulnerable and lost. Thus, they need to be provided with a solid sense of direction, reminded of their goals, and encouraged to talk about what they are feeling. This period can also be a time of creativity if shorter-term objectives or outcomes are taken up. This is the time for sorting out and getting the right emotional and attitudinal responses for success in the new situation.
Finally, the third phase, the NEW BEGINNING. This is where we finally allow ourselves to get on with the new. For this phase, Bridges talks about the 4Ps: Purpose, Picture, Plan and Part.
PURPOSE is the 'why we are doing this?'; PICTURE is the shared vision of what it will look like; PLAN is the detailed plan for getting there one step at a time, and PART is all about giving people a part to play that builds ownership and buy-in.
The new beginning is a time of acceptance, openness and energy. People start feeling good about the change and positive about the future. It is important to remember that not everyone will reach this stage at the same time and that people can slip back to previous stages if they think that the change is not right for them. As people begin to adopt the change, it is essential to help them sustain it.
The Change Leadership course led us through a variety of resources and tools that we can use to effectively work through the three phases for any change that we may face. Change is situational and external, whereas transitions are internal: it's what happens in our minds as we go through change. Change can happen very quickly, while transition occurs more slowly. As a leader, it is vital to understand this "human variable" of change, to be able to lead others though it in a productive and meaningful way.
So, my head is still reeling from all the changes that are taking place around the world. I am still living in pieces as my body is in Australia, but my mind is in Bangladesh with my family, where the impact of COVID-19 is rising in alarming rates. However, this Change Leadership course has given me the tools to transition with grace. It has helped me to understand myself, my goals and path forward better. I find myself now, in a stronger state, to be able to mourn the losses, take my time, but come out in front when the waves break.
