10 steps of transition from Secret Selling Tips

Ten Steps of Transition

Change: Friend or Foe?

We live in unprecedented times. The face of change continues to accelerate at a dizzying pace. It can be overwhelming. Hence, we struggle to maintain a competitive edge trying to offset the dogged determination of our most stanch competitor.

Newsflash: growth and progress are impossible
without change; befriend it.

It is interesting that as creatures of habit we often perceive new and easier ways as being difficult simply because they are different. We somehow manage to convince ourselves that life is better served by routine, always in pursuit of the easy way, the path of least resistance. At the end of the day we secretly convince ourselves that change sucks. We never seem to master the perceived complexity of it as we yearn for familiarity. We are astounded to learn that sacrilegious forces exist that challenge time-honored, cherished methods of the past. We vehemently resist these forces of change; these violators of tradition.

Know this, change is going to happen, with or without you. Be the beneficiary of change; a fight worth losing

Point to Ponder:

“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof”

Dynamics of Change

Change is often viewed as the enemy, an unwelcome event that disrupts cherished habits and ingrained routines. However, it is not the change that does you in, it is the three phases of transition we wrestle with. The three phases are: endings, neutral zone and beginnings. Hence, transition is the window of time associated with letting go of the old (endings) and embracing the new.

The problem is people do not like endings. Goodbyes have never been easy for us.

Change becomes very emotional. We need to appreciate that change involves a lot of goodbyes. Before we can embrace the new we must say goodbye to the old or at least portions thereof. Learning walks hand- in- hand with unlearning.

We then enter into the second phase, the neutral zone, a state that is neither the old nor the new. It is nowhere between two somewheres. It is a kind of an emotional wilderness. This is coupled with the spectrum of emotions we experience during transition. They include: denial, anger, anxiety, sadness, loss, and, finally, guarded acceptance.

Experience shows that as we work through involuntary transition, our resentment wanes and we begin to cautiously embrace the new. Perhaps with a tinge of embarrassment we secretly acknowledge the change as advantageous for all concerned. Hence, the upside of change often delivers the competitive advantage we so desperately seek. Build your wallet share and stimulate real growth by embracing your most compelling, competitive advantage; change. To that end, I offer a blueprint to expedite your transitions:

Ten Steps of Transition:

1) Validate the change as fact, not fiction. (rumors can suck the life outta ya!!)

2) Know the rational of change; seek clarification (why the ending)

3) Embrace the grieving process; anger, frustration, sadness, anxiety, acceptance.

4) Assess personal impact; what is my new role and responsibilities.

5) Acceptance; become part of the solution, not the problem.

6) Evaluate the upside of the new; look for the slivers of positive.

7) Work through the three stages of transition; be conscious of the process

8) Have confidence in the 80/20 ratio: 80% of previous changes in your life have proven to be positive. Only 20% (or less) have proven to be mistakes. I would say those are pretty good odds for success.

9) Confer with your mentor. They may provide unbiased insights to the upside of change.

10) Prepare for more change: go to #1. The one constant in our world today is change.

The next time a colleague or a customer asks you how your day is going, respond with “I’m having a great day, I’m going through a transition”. The look on their face will be worth it.

View your yesterdays as a guidepost, not a hitching post

Tim Breithaupt's competitive edge is his innate ability to connect with his audiences. His delivery style is referred to as entertrainment - a lively blend of logic, simplicity and humour.

As a leading expert in the area of business development, Tim has been published in local, national and international publications.As founder and president of his own business training company, Tim has worked with numerous companies sharing his unique formula of success with thousands of professionals.

With a Commerce Degree from the University of Toronto coupled with twenty seven years experience in the business community, Tim Breithaupt delivers real-world wisdom to foster a level of confidence that will boost results to exciting new levels.

Ten Steps of Transition by Tim Breithaupt

Ten Steps of Transition
by Tim Breithaupt