(Note: Read more about my latest transition at the bottom of this post.)
No path lasts forever. At some point it changes in response to the realities of the terrain or the will of the caretaker. Transitions happen all the time. When I walk around Geneva Lake in Wisconsin the nature of the path changes 493 times (I counted!). The changes occur because the public path runs through the property of the lake front home owners. Some sculpt their walkway into a beautiful garden and others leave the trail to be decorated by nature. But no matter the design of the path, what is certain is that there will be a transition as you walk past home after home.
With so many transitions, you can imagine the diversity of experiences! Sometimes the transition is smooth and easy to make. Other times it is rough and disjointed. Come to find out, most people don't plan the transitions. They don't usually enjoy them either! Change is usually something we avoid even though it usually brings unexpected blessings. I like how Barbara Kingsolver says it, "The changes we dread most may contain our salvation."
I can testify to this truth. I'm entering my 10th major career change. While part of me would not wish my experiences on anyone, another part of me would tell you that without them I would not be the leader I am today.
No I don't have trouble keeping a job . . . in the traditional sense! Over 25 years I have gravitated towards intrapreneurial, startup, turn-around and redesigned roles. These spaces have been amazing for innovation but they aren't always the most stable. That means that some of my roles have simply disappeared, others have been redesigned and still others have been abandoned by choice.
As I begin my 10th transition, I thought it would be good to stop and take stock of what I have learned. Partially it is to remind myself, but in the spirit of being a Generous Mind, I also want to share what I have learned about transitions so that it can be a help you in your next time of change.
- Lesson 1: Take time to finish well and grieve what you are leaving. Some are so anxious to reduce the ambiguity that they race forward to resolve the unknown. But if you don't stop, wrap things up honorably, grieve, reflect and learn, then you have missed much of what that experience could have taught you. Let your leaving be a moment of inspiration for yourself and others.
- Lesson 2: Create a schedule and rhythm for your transition. Make goals about how many people you will contact each day, what projects you will seek to accomplish, how you will spend your more flexible time and how you will balance between seeking what's next and resting from where you have just been. Your transition won't be wrapped up in a day but it will take you showing up every day!
- Lesson 3: Lean on a community of people. Transitions are disorienting for many reasons. You need a tight group of friends who will pray for you, encourage you, help you with everyday needs and be your advocate as you make new connections. The most tragic transition stories I hear about are those done alone.
- Lesson 4: Keep your head up. Many times in transitions we get very narrowly focused on making sure we don't trip as the path changes. But at these moments of transition, we need to be open to a much bigger view of the world. The reality is that a transition is a chance to look up, look around and imagine a new future that you may have never allowed yourself to consider.
- Lesson 5: Be ready for some leaps of faith. In transitions you don't always know what is coming next. So believe in yourself, your loved ones and the God who is guiding your steps. In these moments, you will have opportunities to stretch your legs and make some big jumps. You might stumble as you do, but you also may end up on a brand new path with exciting new opportunities to explore! If you aren't ready to jump, you'll lose your nerve and miss out!
"If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward."
My 10th Transition
I am entering a transition from my role as Chief Innovation Officer at SIL International into an unknown future. It is such a sad parting because SIL remains committed to innovation and I love the cause and the work but it simply isn't possible to sustain the innovation function in its current form at this time. Those things happen and I am so grateful to SIL for their investment in innovation for their people and their investment in me over these past 6 years!
As I look to the future, I feel called to continue serving organizations as they seek to practice disciplined innovation, but I'm not sure what that looks like. I'm currently finishing well (my last day is August 30), reflecting on the end of this part of my professional work, designing my schedule, building a community to walk alongside me, looking around and getting ready to jump!
What I want to say at this early stage of the transition, is that "I can't do this without you!" Here are three things you can do that would be a huge blessing to me:
- Take a look at my job search landing page and get a sense for my experience and my vision.
- If you we have worked together and you are comfortable recommending me, I would really appreciate you sharing a recommendation on LinkedIn.
- Finally, I would love to meet 2-3 people you think I should be talking with right now. They don't have to be looking to hire. But they need to be people who value innovation and are looking to see organizations innovate in new and significant ways.
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