THE NEED TO UNPACK

For me, things packed up in boxes, suitcases, bags cause me anxiety if they are left to fester too long. When I travel, I have to unpack my suitcase at my destination immediately (within 10 min of arriving). I once left everything packed for a long weekend, and it did not end well. When moving into a new place - be it home or office - I have to unpack everything right away and get the finishing touches done right after that. When a package arrives, I have to open it right away and put the items in their places.

Now, some would say that I need a measure of therapy to overcome whatever this is, that’s causing me this anxiety. The reality is that, for me, having things in boxes represents an in-between state. I haven’t quite left where I came from, but haven’t quite arrived where I am going. Unpacking and finding a new place for everything allows me to brush off the journey, and start anew.

YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR NEXT JOURNEY UNTIL YOU UNPACK THIS ONE

Why am I telling you this? I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately about our latest barrage of buzzwords such as pivoting, changing, inclusion, the future of work, and the ‘new normal’ (a term I hate, by the way). My first reaction is “Here we go again. We don’t fully understand the problem and someone else is creating clever buzzwords for us to label this new thing.” My second reaction is “People weren’t prepared for this journey (a different topic) and haven’t unpacked it yet to know what the next journey is.”

But you’re probably still asking “Why is she writing this?” Let’s get to that now. I have recently embarked on my own journey to close one chapter and open a new one. I had to unpack the boxes right away. I closed Agility for All for 2.5 days to get my affairs in order. 

All of this got me thinking about how people approach change. Do they change because it is forced on them, or is it a choice? Is it planned or unplanned? Is it proactive or reactive? And then I think about how people implement change. 

”Does change have to be hard?”

The phrase “change is hard” is used more often than not. Does change have to be hard? It might be uncomfortable if you are out of your comfort zone. It might be scary if you are going into the unknown. It might cause a certain amount of anxiety, again for the same reason. It might be a long process with the end far off, or not in sight at times. It might be a necessary one for economical or health reasons. But does it have to be hard? And is that the phrase that should always be bandied about first and foremost? I have heard many talks that start with this assumption or jumping off point.

A DIFFERENT STANDPOINT

Well. If we always approach change from the standpoint that it is hard, of course we don’t want to do it and will put it off as long as possible. When I’m starting a potentially contentious or anxiety-inducing meeting with a group, I have everyone write down the baggage that they brought into the room with them at the very beginning of the meeting. Then I ask everyone to crumple up the piece of paper, give it one last look, and throw it away. We obviously don’t have time to unpack all of the baggage in a one-hour meeting but when we write some of it down and throw it away, we are clearing our mind for what comes next. We allow ourselves to be open to what is before us, without other clutter.

PREPARING FOR CHANGE

The same is true when approaching major organizational change. If everyone is not clear of the baggage that they brought into the process, then that’s going to carry through the process and taint what comes out the other side. 

When preparing for change, one of the first things that I suggest is that the organisation takes time to assess the readiness for any type of change. And that includes unpacking all of the figurative boxes that are sitting there in the corner of the room - some of it with personal handwritten labels, others with labels written by movers, some with no labels at all, boxes that have been reused over and over with tape scars. And most importantly, boxes with so many labels from so many moves that we can’t remember which one applies to this time. 

Until the contents of these boxes are unpacked, examined, and processed; the organisation isn’t truly ready for any upcoming change. 

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About the Author:

INDRA A. BOOKS

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