Managing the
Transition
Tommy Boone, PhD,
MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiolgoy
College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811
“Life is a series
of collisions with the future; it is not a sum of what we have been but
what we yean to be. – Jose Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher
It occurred to me as
I left the campus headed home that the plain sense of the transition from
a discipline to a profession isn’t so plain after all. I had always
considered that if a person reached for a goal, to lay hold of a dream,
or to grasp an idea, half the battle was won. I still believe the
magic of positive thinking is powerful. But, as is always true, there
is so much more to learn.
Imagine the sheer nonsense
when I created the first-ever electronic journal about professionalism
without ever having taken a single course in the subject. It is not
easy feeding the pains of passion, and it is equally difficult to project
oneself into the future. The remembrances of how things are against
the unheard of expectations of our work conflict and confuse cold logic
and rational thought. The question is, how can we come to a better
understanding of the transition from one thing to another?
The transition I’m referring
to is partly that of making the most of the change from a discipline to
an emerging profession. But there is another part that is poorly
understood. For some of our colleagues, they don’t believe a word
of ASEP. Exercise physiology for them is still linked to the dreams
and make-believe of earlier associations and nearness to ideas and times
when there was only one mountain to gather on and measure one’s value.
Unfortunately, their search for meaning is compromised by the reality of
the individuals who have conquered the mountain.
Remember the old adage, “expectation
is greater than realization”. Many of our colleagues have expected
the mountain to bear a lot of fruit, and they expected many different kinds
of fruit. The expectations have been much greater than the realization
of those who have traveled to the mountain and attended to it. But,
nonetheless, those in attendance of its meetings haven’t changed their
behavior. They still think alike, even in face of the contrasting
changes of another mountain (not as physically big but filled with equal
measures of hopes and dreams). For most who have climbed the big
mountain for many years, and who have served those in attendance, they
have stayed the same.
Bridges (1)
points out that “…psychological transition depends on letting go of the
old reality and the old identity….before the change took place.”
Hence, just because another mountain exists doesn’t mean that the members
of the big mountain have let go or that they are ready to stop tending
to it. Had the idea for a new mountain originated within the
“big” mountain, the transition would have been easier to psychologically
deal with. Members would have known what to let go of and, especially
the letting go of the old reality for all the reasons that had been discussed
prior to the changes. Equally so, they would have embraced the new
reality with an easier transition.
In a sense, it is as simple
as the following statement: “Before an exercise physiologist can become
a different kind of exercise physiologist, he/she must let go of the old
identity.” The problem is the unlearning that must take place, particularly
should the new reality in effect not have allowed for the ending of the
old. Letting go is difficult. Members of the old reality are
not sure of what is actually going to change. Will they no longer
be at the top of their profession, as a member of the big mountain?
Will they have to start over, and who would want to do that? Just
think of the work it would take and the years of wasted effort. Imagine
that some may feel their life’s work has been wasted climbing and developing
the wrong mountain. There are a lot of issues and, yes, real emotions
that must be difficult to deal with. Letting go of everything a person
believes in is hard work, if not impossible for some. How can you
help? According to Bridges (1), the following points
may help them let go:
-
To keep the conversation between
you and the other person going, don’t argue. Work to understand their
views and feelings so that you can gain their trust and commitment.
-
Take a step back if the person
you are talking with appears to be overreacting. Give the person
room and, remember, it is the perception of the lost that is being emotionally
experienced.
-
Acknowledge the person’s feelings.
Be sympathetic.
-
Expect to encounter the signs
of grieving, such as the emotional states of anger, sadness, depression,
and confusion.
While it may not be possible
to give back what was taken away (e.g., committee status, professional
recognition, or a sense of being right), an effort should be made to help
the members of the old way gain access to new positions and feelings.
Members of the new mountain should not violate the “principle of compensation”
for losses (regardless of whether they are real or imagined). Remember,
it is important to help everyone realize the ending and, perhaps, one of
the best ways is by engaging in positive networking. The annual meeting
is an excellent opportunity to network, share feelings, and lay the foundation
for the new beginning, new thinking, and new possibilities.
Members of the new mountain
should avoid speaking negative about the past. Be enthusiastic about
the dreams and opportunities that spring from the new thinking, but also
be respectful in conversation about the old way. Where appropriate
and rational, there should be a logical mix of the old ways on the big
mountain and the new ways on the small mountain. A new collaborative
step forward on behalf of all exercise physiologists is a good initiative,
thus allowing for continuity of important matters.
Clearly this piece is not
the long-term correction to anything. Maybe, just maybe, it has helped
me think through the transition from the old way to the new way.
There are still a lot of issues and questions. Perhaps, ASEP should
consider the development of a “Transition Management Advisory Committee”
to help perspective members who are concerned with what they perceive as
losses when associating with the new way. What I figured out on my
way home is that while we want a successful transition from the big mountain
to the smaller mountain, it will take time and understanding.
“The winners of
tomorrow will deal proactively with chaos, will look at the chaos per se
as the source of market advantage, not as a problem to be got around.”
-- Tom Peters, American writer
References
1.
Bridges, W. (1991). Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Reading,
Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Copyright
©1997-2001 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights
Reserved.
ASEP
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