“The essence of life takes place in the neutral zone phase of transition. It is in that interim spaciousness that all possibilities, creativity, and innovative  ideas can come to life and flourish” - SUSAN BRIDGES

The human skills to navigate constant change have become critical to helping us adapt and respond quickly to change.

My Mentor, Tanya Geisler asks me: ‘’what’s your relationship with newness?’’ My response is, ‘’sometimes it feels like I have been thrown through a long staircase crushing to the bottom, and sometimes it feels like I am walking up the staircase with ease.’’

The point for me with this analogy is that no change journey is the same -  it varies as the experiences are unique and the context or environment is different.

Knowing what our relationship with change is helps us understand the mental models we have formed from our years of experiencing change and the patterns we have ingrained in ourselves, and how we can learn to disrupt them so that our story/relationship with change evolves as we evolve. Managing Personal Transition (MPT) is about the psychological reorientation that ensues as a result of change. Change is an event, and MPT is how you process the shock, denial, the confusion and realise your new beginning. It is negotiating with yourself so that you can inculcate a certain way of being and doing so you can continue to perform and stay aligned with your leadership agenda.

Some changes are small, some are big and the size doesn’t matter but what matters is how we forge a path that moves us forward intentionally. The path forward, I believe, also lies in the questions.

Here are some questions to explore to support your transition:

• Who do I need to become for my leadership agenda to stay on course and relevant?
• What are the skills that will create clarity and help me adapt?
• What’s staying the same and what’s changing and how do I leverage my strengths and see the challenges as points of expanding who I can become?
• Can I be authentic with change or do I tag along to keep myself alive? 

Covid has brought a sense of loss personally and professionally and we continue to experience loss. This state can create a perceived sense of loss of power,  belonging, etc. These losses can have an impact on how we perceive the future, and how we hold ourselves accountable. They can hold us back. Extracting meaning out of them can give us a renewed sense of existential fulfillment.

MPT inspires us to own how we respond to change and contributes to our well-being, meaningful connections; and makes an impactful contribution to our various vocations.

‍We may not have control over the changes that happen around us but we have room to choose how we are changed by events.

‍I offer an online course called Managing Personal Transition and individual coaching called Navigating Transitions.