There are a multitude of instances, both personal and professional, that I could reference
for this post. I think of managing life changes when returning from deployment, starting a
family, or undergoing any major life change. A major life instance is subjective, and we
handle change differently. This course has helped lay the groundwork for change relating
to planning, prioritization, organization, and execution. A specific instance was when I
stepped into a leadership role and inherited a team. It took time, patience, and persistence
to instill in the team the true direction of the organization. This was in a retail setting, but
by determining what motivated each employee, I was able to successfully execute the
change in operations to reflect company initiatives. This included hiring new employees,
promoting others, and having honest conversations about resistance.
The change management skills covered in this course would have been useful
when integrating the changes. I had a core support staff that were the change leaders, but it
would have been more effective to delegate initiatives, instead of attempting to the manage
the change individually. The most important take away from this class has been the
importance of clearly communicating the overall direction of an organization, Presenting
the why to every stakeholder. Although this doesn’t necessarily impact their daily
responsibilities, it clarifies the reasoning and logic behind the change. A change
management skill I will apply moving forward is transparency. Within an organization,
there needs to be full transparency. I find myself more rewarded and fulfilled when I can
trust that my colleagues are on the same page as me. This also opens the door for input and
feedback. This will ensure the initiatives are supported, creates a collaborative team, and
allows change to be achieved by and organization, not an individual.
