The times they are a-changin’. And change is always difficult. It happens to all of us. Some of us embrace it, others fight it. In the end we all learn from it.
I am living through a big personal and professional change at the moment and I am learning quite a bit.
Back in October, as my organization began the process of merging with another, I decided that I wanted to resign as CEO to explore the next stage in my career. Making the decision was tough, but once made it provided some initial relief. I quickly realized, however, that there are several phases of change and that each comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities.
Initially my schedule didn’t change much as it was packed with transition activities. But then an interim CEO was named and I took on a role in the background supporting the new leadership. And then came the day I had to pack up my office and left behind the team that I had built over the past six years.
Throughout this process I have observed many things:
1. Living in silence
After the holidays, when the kids went back to school, I found myself in an environment of overwhelming silence. With a new opportunity and a possible move pending, we began to prepare our house for a likely departure. I suddenly went from talking and listening all day to cleaning and sorting in silence. It was something I wasn’t ready for but after some time started to embrace and even enjoy the silence.
