Is there an Art to Mastering Change?

By Di Wright

Mastering the art of change is essentially the embodiment of transformation of the spirit within. Masters of change transform adverse situations and challenges into learning opportunities for growth and development, not only for themselves , but also for others. They essentially shape transformation through challenge!

Managing change is then the ability to look at life from a different kind of perspective. Life, according to masters of change, is a mosaic yet to be filled in with new experiences that they are about to embark upon.

But how do we open our minds to see the mosaic yet to be created and to transform the spirit within?

• Leave the past in the past.
• Forgive those who do not acknowledge the significance of the past and its accomplishments in your life and in the life of the company you work for. Don’t hold grudges.
• Maintain an ongoing dialogue with all those involved in the change. This strategy will go a long way to creating synergy that will drive the change process for you and for others.
• Keep a learning journal to record and track your progress.
• Look at the experiences through the enthusiastic and passionate eyes of a child, now as a new wonder to behold—a puzzle to solve—even as a new challenge to energize you.
• Have faith in yourself and others based on mutual respect for one another.
• Use mind mapping techniques to draw out the concepts and feelings evoked by the process of change. For more information on mind mapping, you can read The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan ( 1996), Mind Mapping: Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity by Joyce Wycoff ( 1991 ), and Mind Maps in a Week by Steve Morris and Jane Smith. In fact, Tony Buzan has actually come out with his own software in 2007 www.imindmap.com.
• Seek a re-birth—a re-entry—into this new world you envision by writing out your vision statement for the company or your department. From there, develop your mission statement and evolving from this will be your SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-sensitive. You can shape this process by doing a flow chart or a pyramid chart to facilitate the development of a decisive action plan or even use something as simple as a collage of pictures depicting the various stages of development to achieve your vision. You can also make a collage of pictures from your own life and insert them into this one to personalize it even more for yourself.
• Videotape yourself as you describe and act out the change process you are going through. Watch your posture and body language and observe them for changes and reflection, and take notes as you watch. This exercise will help create a self-awareness that will promote the learning process.

These techniques will help foster your intuition as a valid source of information and analysis, because they will enhance your ability to not only see the early signs for future developments but also to take appropriate action and get results. Such techniques will also allow you the ability to see patterns in your own behavior and relationships within organizations that will ultimately facilitate the change process.

Di Wright is a Certified ESL Teacher by the Teachers of English as a Second Language of Ontario, and has accumulated a total of 11 years in the career and education management field—both in the non-profit (e.g. Toronto Board of Education ) and corporate sector. She has well-rounded insight and hands-on experience in coaching, counseling and instructing/ facilitating individuals, either on an one-onone basis or in groups. For the last six years, she has taught business communications/ workplace competencies at a private career college for internationally educated professionals. E-maild.wri3420@gmail.com.