These are all the many changes...

I knew that this year will bring a lot of changes, challenges, opportunities, etc. It's something that I felt deep inside, like instinct, a gut-feel sort of thing, you know? Plus, the fact that all horoscopes I read corroborate this feeling. They say that the Rooster (which is my sign) is a secret friend of the Dragon (this year's sign), which means that this will be a good year for me. I also read that the "luck" that will come my way won't happen until later this year, and that I would have to work hard first before it comes. When you look at it another way, the universe is telling me that in order for me to receive luck, I must work hard for it. Luck favors those who are prepared, right? So there.

What I didn't realize is exactly HOW much changes will go on during the year. The month's not over, plus it's officially been only a week since the Lunar New Year began, but already I've been through a roller coaster of a journey. From changes that directly impact me and my role, to organizational changes which have either "leaked out" or which I found out from various credible sources, it's amazing how I managed to cope. A friend and I were discussing this, and we were wondering if it was better that we didn't know what is to come,if we just "go with the flow," so to speak. I told her that, personally, while some of the information is pretty hard to swallow, I'd rather that it would be this way - that I find out ahead of others (even if "ahead" here means a few weeks, or even days, ahead). That way, I would have time to think, and rethink, my next steps. I've always felt that it was never easy for me here at work. By knowing what is to come, I could plan ahead.

Change management is "a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management). I have to admit, I have much to learn about change management as a discipline. In my organization, I think I am not alone. The company has recently hired a Change and Engage Manager in order to help everyone deal with what is to come in the several months. What we need to emphasize to everyone that these changes are all about improving performance. The ultimate benchmark of performance in our case is customer satisfaction, or CSI. This year, our goal is to reach 8.5, a score which is considered "best-in-class." Coming from barely reaching last year's target of 7.5, this MIGHT seem like a herculean task. After all, here we are with all these changes, restructuring, re-organization, and so forth, and on top of it we have to meet a higher target? What gives, right? But what we need to embrace is this: the fact we are undergoing a lot of changes is to reach our goals. This may sound far-fetched, or even crazy, to some, but I fully believe this is a fact.

Paradigm shift. As a leader, we are presented with these changes almost first-hand (after the managers, of course). Not only are there changes in our roles, but also with how we look at rewards and consequences. We have been raised in a culture of "punishment" - if you fail to do something, there is a corresponding consequence. Take the matter of attendance - if you fail to come to work (whether due to an emergency or health reasons), it will be taken out of your performance bonus and your score. However, the direction right now is a radical change on how we treat non-performers. During a leadership meeting, the plans were unveiled (a bit hastily, it was not part of the agenda but HR felt it was needed at the time, since all questions were pertaining to that anyway), and some found it a bit difficult to swallow. I myself raised a few questions, and a couple of people supported me; but it turns out they were looking at it differently from my point of view, that everything got twisted and screwed up during the discussion. Sheesh. Anyway, my whole point is this: paradigm shift. A change in the basic assumptions. A change in the way of thinking. From a geocentric model of the universe, a paradigm shift occured. Now we know that the sun is the center of our solar system (that is why it is called the SOLAR system, hahaha!).

I need to end this article now, and so I leave you with a paragraph taken from an article on the web. The link is http://www.taketheleap.com/define.html, and I hope you like this:

"In conclusion, for millions of years we have been evolving and will continue to do so. Change is difficult. Human Beings resist change; however, the process has been set in motion long ago and we will continue to co-create our own experience. Kuhn states that "awareness is prerequisite to all acceptable changes of theory" (p. 67). It all begins in the mind of the person. What we perceive, whether normal or metanormal, conscious or unconscious, are subject to the limitations and distortions produced by our inherited and socially conditional nature. However, we are not restricted by this for we can change. We are moving at an accelerated rate of speed and our state of consciousness is transforming and transcending. Many are awakening as our conscious awareness expands."