Waltzing with change

Change is a constant wind, it will never die down anytime, no matter what people say. After a holiday trip, something always gets changed at work. Sadly, you don’t always hear about it straight away, because someone has forgotten to distribute it widely. Once you have worked for more than a decade, you will notice interim procedures popping up like weeds, and they tend to stay longer than anticipated. Some people have described interim procedures as band aids. But do these band aids ever get removed?

On the other hand, if you think about it, in order to keep up to date with the times, change is necessary. For us to stay fresh in our line of work, you have no choice in the matter. Often what is overlooked is empathy for the stragglers, who may not be as well prepared as some other patrons, and could well find change to be frightful.

Personally

I thrive on change. Life would be boring without some sort of change. I have my daily routines for work days, but on weekends, that is where I experiment and research widely. I like to test new apps, especially photography apps, social media apps, aggregated data websites, and learn about hidden smartphone gestures. I am constantly researching for travel ideas, easy cooking, and a safe version of extreme sports.

Professionally

I try to keep a tab on better way of doing tasks and benchmarks by subscribing to various newsletters and social media accounts. Am I proficient in keeping abreast of change? The answer is no. Also, I attend webinars and meetup groups who talk about change in practice, standards, and laws. I try my best to document my thoughts and upload them to ALIA’s PD tool. Then ponder who would be best to implement the idea.

Work

I do not accept change straight off the bat, I need to find it to be of benefit before I can endorse it. Change comes in three waves. I have this tendency to start with kicking and screaming not always displayed publicly. When I do manage to calm down, I would begin to make note of OH&S issues or areas of inefficient use of the resources. The last stage of change is when I start comparing the suggested change against research findings and successful proof of concepts. This makes it a way of accepting the change.

Overall, I view change as a challenge waiting to be tackled head on.