Surviving the “winds of change” Published Aug. 24, 2006 By Mittie Kelley 436th Airlift Wing Equal Employment Opportunity DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- I'm married, 58 years old, a mother of four and a proud grandmother of six lovely granddaughters. Over the years, it seems that the "winds of change" never stop blowing. The older I get, the more things seem to change - time refuses to stand still. Looking back, I can remember the days when I was a young girl jumping rope. A few months ago, I was at my granddaughter's birthday party. My granddaughter wanted me to teach her how to jump rope. Taking the rope, I quickly learned remembering is one thing, but doing is an entirely different subject. It became painfully clear to me as I made my way off the ground that my jump rope days for now are gone! (You can't ignore change, if you do it will slam into you and knock you off balance.) Getting angry won't make change go away. In fact, a temper typically makes things worse. Wishful thinking is a waste of time, too, so I've learned that it does me no good to sit around in life and reminisce about "the good old days" with the hope they'll return. You can't even run away from change, because there's no place you can run that's beyond the range of change. How you think and how you act become very important during times of change. Obviously, you won't be able to control everything that happens, but you're in complete control of how you respond to what's happening. Keep your sense of humor. My parents used to say, "cheer up, things could get worse." With new change, you may feel as though we are victims of organizational progress masqueraded in a sea of trouble. Try not to jump to conclusions because all the facts are not in just yet on how you will be affected by the change. When you're in the middle of change, it seems that a lot can happen in a hurry. Times like these put many new stresses and demands on you. It's understandable that you might get upset or disappointed about certain aspects of change, but don't spend all your time concentrating on what's going wrong and become preoccupied with things that are aggravating and upsetting. Become a "change agent" and devote your energies to being a part of the team. Choose your battles carefully. I've chosen to seize change as a chance for me to learn and grow. Be open-minded by giving yourself time to get a broader view of the situation. It's easy to sit back, criticize and accuse others of not caring, but instead of pointing the finger, get involved and try to have a positive impact. You may surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish and the contribution you can make toward helping your organization through change. Examine your work routines and see if you're out of step with the new beat in the organization. Pay very close attention to what's going on around you. If everything around you is changing, it's probably an indication that you need to be changing, too. If you see breezes of change in the culture, priorities or work pace, take it as hard evidence that you probably need to start doing some things differently. If you are one of those folks who resist change thinking, "we've always done it that way," you'll probably get blown over by the winds of change around you. Problems are a natural side effect of the change process. When significant change happens, it might appear that things have gotten worse instead of better. Charles Kettering put it best when he said, "Problems are the price of progress." Remember, the jury is still out. In a few days or months, you may look back on the changes that once concerned you as the best thing that ever happened to you. During the changing times ahead, you will be faced constantly with a choice of running against the wind of change, riding with it or being blown over by it. I've learned it is better to keep the wind at your back, looking for the opportunity. If it's not immediately apparent, I urge you to keep on looking. If you still can't find opportunity, get busy and make your own.