“We need to deal with the gooey glop that most people find
uncomfortable. But you have to metamorphose in order to change, and
that will involve going through the discomfort of being less and less a
caterpillar while you are in the process of becoming a butterfly.”
“Expect the transformation process to be somewhat uncomfortable. And
it certainly requires some degree of risk!”“A colleague explained it to me far more simply. She said, ‘Change is a
moment. Transition is the process. It is coming to terms with transition
that takes our time and energy.’”
Step 3: Introduce a change model. Tell participants, “I’d like to focus now on
personal change. Personal change is often a response to crisis. A number
of theorists have written about this, but William Bridges comes to mind
first. Has anyone read his work? He says that it is our responses—our
reactions and our emotions—that make the transition of change so
difficult.“On the floor, you can see a modified ‘grief’ cycle depicted with yarn.
Many theorists suggest that our response to change goes through stages
that are much like the stages of death and dying that Elizabeth Kubler-
Ross first wrote about.
“Even if you haven’t read her work, those of you who are working
together will understand it after this exercise. Take a few minutes to
put the signs around the room in the order you believe represents the
progressive cycle of change—the way you believe is real.”Direct the group’s attention to the signs sitting on the side. They are
NOT in order. Ask people to arrange them in order. Unless they are
drastically wrong, don’t correct the order of how they arranged the
stages. It is the process of doing it together that is the focus.
(The correct order is Crisis, Shock, Denial, Anger, Bargaining,
Guilt, Panic, Depression, Resignation to Situation, Acceptance
of Reality, Building,and Opportunity: Growth and New
Directions)Step 4: Ask everyone to sit. Say, “Using the index card I hand you, take a few
minutes to record three personal changes that you are currently
experiencing. Then choose one that you are willing to share.” Allow
time to do this.(^120) THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING ACTIVITY BOOK