Contributed by Nancy Oelklaus
When I left a position several years ago, I worked with a coach to help make the transition for myself and for the organization. When I described how puzzled I was at how some board members were behaving, she said, "They’re angry that you’re leaving." I was shocked. Now I realize that their anger had more to do with change than with me.
Change challenges us. It shakes us up—and most people don’t like to be shaken up. Change presents us with a set of circumstances out of our control. It causes us to change our routine, our schedule, and maybe even our lifestyle. The bottom line is that when we’re in the midst of change, we’re usually not getting our way, and that’s what makes us mad. Our ability to predict is diminished. We feel uncertain.
When I was a little girl, I had different colored panties for every day of the week—and they were embroidered with the name of each day: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. So every morning I knew exactly what to choose. My mother had hand towels for every day of the week, labeled with the major household task to be completed that day. Monday was WASH CLOTHES. Tuesday was IRON. I don’t remember the others, but every day had its own hand towel, with the major task emblazoned on it.
So is there any wonder that I’m not crazy about change?
