Page 232 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

Bridges points out that a transition is more than a
change of behavior; it is a change of identity and pat-
terns. Real transitions require emotional processes, not
just behavioral modifications. These emotional pro-
cesses include:
• • Letting go of old identities, activities, assumptions,
and relationships; mourning the loss of the “old
normal” that will not be regained
• • Putting up with a sometimes lengthy period of
confusion, uncertainty, and redefinition of roles;
gradually coming to imagine and experiment
with new patterns, identities, and ways of making
decisions
• • Allowing something new to be born,
institutionalized, and valued as a “new normal”
rather than clinging to the past

Symbolic acts can help facilitate this difficult transition
process. Belinda, the school principal, changed teachers’
classrooms as a symbol of a “new world order” at school.
Another new leader facing a major corporate transition
asked employees to list on a card the things they had done
to contribute to the company’s past success. He encouraged
employees to share these stories with friends and family for
a weekend. On Monday morning he invited everyone to
write him a personal memo on what he or she would do
to help implement the new agenda. Then they all burned
the cards representing the past. Leaders who take seriously
their meaning-creating role of honoring the past and boldly
envisioning the future help others complete the transitions
related to change.

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