I love, love, love me some psychoanalysis. Self-analysis included. (Definitely included.)
And change management. Big fan. So let’s talk about the change curve, a nonlinear psychological model for how individuals progress through change.
There are a few models out there, but since I favor odd numbers and accomplished women, I go with the Kubler-Ross model: Shock. Denial. Frustration. Depression. Experimentation. Decision. Integration.
Life happens — you get a new boss, you lose your job, IT announces another project, there’s a series of fires and floods that destroy the closest thing to Utopia you’ve ever known. You know, little things like that. And when interrupting change happens, you invariably go through the change curve.
Sometimes the change is so small you can barely distinguish the phases. You gripe about a new MFA policy but quickly get used to it and move on with life. (MFA resisters, I’m talking to you here. You ARE going to survive. Promise.)
Other times, the change is so catastrophic — fires, floods, and loss of community level-stuff — that you can only look back two years later and laugh. And psychoanalyze your way to a blog idea.
Having gone through the first four stages (repeatedly), last summer I began Experimenting with RV life. The Decision to go full time was pretty easy once my home was demolished last month. (Flood survival scores: Shannon—3, Home—2).
Now I’m excited to Integrate being out on the road back into my life. Meeting new people, seeing the country, learning to embrace fear, expanding my horizon. Change curve completed.
Now, think of a time you made it through the ole curve and give yourself a pat on the back. It’s a tough road. You will make it through the next one, too. Remember, if MFA is the worst thing to happen to you in a day, it has been a pretty good day.
If you’re leading others through it, give them some grace. We don’t resist change because we’re jerks. (Mostly.) But don’t take my word for it, learn more about the remarkable Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and her pioneering work in the field of psychiatry.
“Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.”
— Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Shannon Vasko is a natural-born planner with a passion for strategy and integrated communications. AI was not used for content creation. © MI Compass Services.
