Big Change

I was once a new member of the management team with an organization that downsized from 200 to around 50 employees over a 3-6 month period while overhauling the entire internal structures of management, departments, functions, processes and even the basic purpose of the organization. The change was devastating for most - the loss of jobs, of friendships, the insecurity of changes in job responsibilities and new managers with new expectations. This organization did not have the luxury of implementing change over time - the change was mandated. Sometimes big change comes real fast.

There were some members of the organization who seemed to have a sense of stability, grounded among the chaos of the big change. You could almost see an aura around these individuals, linking them with others and creating pockets of stability where morale picked up quicker and business began to develop again. Talking with them, you would not feel the intense anxiety that pounded the pulse of the organization in those days. Instead, you would see a steady sense of purpose that transcended the immediate tensions connecting solid values from the past with hopeful glimpses of the future.

Wherever these pockets of stability resided, change moved more readily.

What a paradox, that within stability, change is more readily embraced – even big change.