Change Is a Skill Development Learning Process

Change, like almost every other life experience, is a learning process. With each new idea or situation comes the need to learn about it?what is it? How does it work? How do I fit in? What are the good and bad aspects of it? So let's talk for a moment about the process of learning. LEARNING is a lifelong process. It neither starts nor ends with formal schooling. In fact, school mostly teaches us how to learn. Experience teaches us what we need to know, but it's up to us to go out there and get the knowledge and the information. Change is a learning experience (if you let it be). So here are the four skills you'll need and some questions for you to answer.

STUDYING AND DEVELOPING NEW TECHNICAL AND HUMAN SKILLS

- Do you hold back until you are forced to learn, or do you reach out for the information you need or want?

- Would additional study, perhaps formal courses at a college or junior college or adult education program, help in this situation?

SEEK OUT LEARNERS ? people who know more than you do?or are learning

- Do you seek out the advice of people who have already been through the learning process, asking how they did it?

- Are you open to seeking out a mentor?or two?or three?

PUSH YOURSELF

- Do you recognize that you may be trapped in old ways? Can you tell yourself there must be a better way? Remember the old saying, "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got." LEARN TO ACT WITHOUT HAVING ALL THE INFORMATION IN HAND

- Do you believe in hunches? Can you risk enough to act even though you don't necessarily (or can't) have all the facts? You need to assess, at every stage of change, the wisdom of acting, even when it feels risky. The fact is, it is risky, but perhaps it's more risky NOT to act than to act. Reproduced below is a "Change Checklist." In order to give yourself some insight into the level of stress you may have endured recently ? and therefore to help you realize what need to change in your life, what process needs to be undertaken. There is a scoring key at the end of the exercise.

CHANGE CHECKLIST

Change comes in many forms -- expected and predictable (which you can plan for -- and should), or unexpected (whoops!), sudden (ouch!!), and unsettling (oh, oh!). Planned change often doesn't feel like "change," because we know it's coming and it doesn't seem to hurt like the other kind.

Then there's "sea change" -- overwhelming change that envelops us -- such as economic or political change, social change (like the Los Angeles Riots), or natural changes such as fires, floods, tornadoes, snowstorms, earthquakes. We need to recognize that change of all sorts affects us -- even when we're not aware of it. What's more, change is a way of life today, and the degree and rapidity of change -- societal, environmental, political, social and personal -- is increasing. For an in-depth look at this phenomenon, read The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler.

But for the moment, read the list below and check off any change that you've gone through in the last year.

WORK

_ Changed to a new type of work
_ Changed work hours, conditions
_ Increased or decreased job responsibilities
_ Experienced company merger, acquisition, re-organization
_ Had trouble (dispute) with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates
_ Taken work-related educational courses
_ Been introduced to a new technology or work process
_ Fired or laid off
_ Retired

HOME, FAMILY

_ Death of spouse or other primary family member
_ Death of relative, close friend
_ Got married
_ Became a parent or took in a relative
_ Spouse started or stopped working outside home
_ Had serious argument with spouse
_ Separated or reconciled with spouse
_ Got divorced
_ Changed residence
_ Undertook major home improvements or repairs
_ In-law problems
_ Child left home -- or returned to live
_ Change in habits of family gathering
_ Change in health or behavior of family member (substance abuse, etc.)

PERSONAL, SOCIAL

_ Started or stopped school, college
_ Realized major achievement (personal)
_ Took a vacation
_ Changed a social activity (joined, resigned from club, et
_ Changed religious beliefs
_ Made major decision about your future
_ Had sexual difficulties
_ Had legal problems
_ Changed political party or beliefs
_ Started a new personal relationship
_ Terminated a personal relationship other than marriage
_ Had loss by theft, damage to personal property (car or belongings)
_ Had an accident (automobile, fall, etc.)

HEALTH

_ Had an illness or injury requiring hospitalization or bed rest
_ Changed eating habits (including weight loss program)
_ Experienced change in sleeping habits
_ Changed recreational activities

FINANCES

_ Bought a home or made other major purchase (car, boat, vacation property)
_ Had business failure or major uninsured financial loss
_ Had change in personal finances or significant change in income or expenses (up or down)

_____ Record the Total Number of Checkmarks

What your score means:

1 - 15: You're in good shape, the year's been easy.
16 - 25: This has been a challenging year. Take a deep breath.
26 - 35: Perhaps you may need a professional counselor to help you through the changes.
36+: Your stress level is near boiling -- slow down, re-group, get help.

Copyright 2002, 2005 Optimum Performance Associates/Paul McNeese.

Paul McNeese is CEO of Optimum Performance Associates, a consulting firm specializing in transitional and transformational change for individuals and institutions through publication. His publishing company, OPA Publishing, is an advocacy for self-publishing authors of informational, instructional, inspirational and insightful nonfiction.

Email: pmcneese@opapublishing.com
Websites: http://www.opapublishing.com and http://www.opapresents.com

---

Knowledge Gains in Innovation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Befriend Your Budget, This Yuletide and Always

It is that time of year again. Yuletide?Christmas in the air. Nostalgia, goose pimples and casting off all financial discipline. It was originally meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Joy to... Read More

Creativity Management ? Theres Nothing New Under the Sun

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Mindfulness and Beliefs: Irrationally Yours

I can't help it--I am a confirmed neuroscience geek.So I was very excited to attend the fifth brain lecture in a series (yes, I bought season tickets!) sponsored by Oregon Health Sciences University.... Read More

Types of Innovation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Intuition Power In Three Steps

Have you ever used your intuition to solve problems? Can you trust your intuition? Can you improve it?What Is Intuition?Intuition is simply a feeling, sense, or hunch based on information not available to... Read More

Mother Of Invention Or Dummy? You Decide!

What would you say to yourself if when faced with a severe problem that could potentially devastate your lifestyle? What would happen if you "did" the first thing that came into your mind?... Read More

Do You Need A Business Plan If Your Idea Is New, Untested, or Unproven?

Who Should Read This Article?Anyone nursing a new (especially untested and unproven) - idea for a business, and/or who is at a loss as to whether or not it will be beneficial to... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Creative Process

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Why Do We Suppress Higher Thought?

Throughout History we have imprisoned our brightest stars and thinkers. In modern periods we force them into works of fiction and disallow those Thoughts, which make us question our perceived or created realities... Read More

Managing Creativity and Innovation, Part 1 of 2

Leaders, consultants and managers must be competent in at least thirteen domains to even begin effectively managing creativity and innovation. Part 1 of Managing Creativity and Innovation covers the first seven of these... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Value of Being Obvious

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Intuition: Your Best Career Coach

Since I derive most of my life lessons from reading murder mysteries, I am reminded of a mystery by Marcia Muller, Listen to the silence. The heroine, Sharon McCone, turns her prodigious investigative... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Decision Makers

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

How To Be An Innovator In A World Of Change

Innovators are opportunity-oriented.What's the hidden opportunity in that problem? Where is the opportunity in that trend? How can this be made to work better? Innovators search for the unsolved problems, the markets inefficiencies,... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Joy and Sustainability

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Business Innovation ? Masks and Trance

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Great Ideas and Radical or Disruptive Innovation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Enhancing Vulnerability To Master Perfectionism

One of the ways a person must advance past perfectionism is to deal with and gradually become more and more vulnerable. Every good perfectionist knows that this is VERY scary.? Vulnerability involves allowing... Read More

Become an Idea Collector

Have you ever gotten a really great idea ? one that you knew would solve a problem, but when you went to apply it, you couldn't remember the idea? Have you ever read... Read More

Innovation

Innovation, in a business context, is generally thought of as the product or application of creativity. Peter F. Drucker suggests that innovation "is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship."Mr. Drucker further suggests that there... Read More

Managing Creativity and Innovation, Part 2 of 2

Leaders, consultants and managers must be competent in at least thirteen domains to even begin effectively managing creativity and innovation. Part 2 of Managing Creativity and Innovation covers the last six of these... Read More

Why It?s Important to Make Your Idea Real

Say you have an idea for something new and exciting in your life.This may be something as simple as a new arrangement for the garden or as far-reaching as a career change.You get... Read More

Business Innovation ? Confidence in People

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

How To Benefit from The Power of New Innovations in the Year 2005

How many times have you heard the phrase "knowledge is power"? Probably enough for you to really wonder if you're actually doing something useful with your life, isn't that correct?So you want to... Read More

Business Innovation ? Small Changes, Big Effects

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

Peace Alliance vs. Fighting a Battle

We read in the press about the "War on Drugs" and the "Battle of the Bulge". Television tells us to fight the flu, legal battles or the war in Haiti. Our doctors tell... Read More

A New Pair of Shoes

Do the NewAn old pair of shoesDo you have a really comfortable pair of shoes? They may be slippers or tennis shoes. It doesn't matter what kind of shoes, just so comfortable that... Read More

Innovation Makes Leaders

Basically what innovation does is making your business unique and often more progressive in its development.Looking deeper at positive influence of innovation allows us to notice clear tendency from business stagnation to rapid... Read More