7 Stages of Processing Transformation — Shifting from Crisis to Creation

This is all pretty new still. The world has suddenly changed. Week to week, the situation changes — and seems to become more dire. Plans we made only a couple of weeks ago now suddenly seem ridiculous.

It is easy to be overwhelmed and freak out.

Being an adult means facing reality.

Things are not going to go back to “normal”.

Sure, people will probably leave the house again, stores will open again, we will be back in offices, theaters, cafes, restaurants and bars, and even that extra soft toilet paper will be stocked plenty again before we know it.

But the old world is already dead.

[and it really had been for a while, this just is your opportunity to notice and respond]

Transformation is always also a death experience.

Death experiences require us to process them.

You will get to process them.

With regard to the current situation, in all likelihood, you are finding yourself somewhere oscillating along the stages Elisabeth Kübler-Ross described (it’s not necessarily a linear progression):

• Shock — All the news are just hitting you, but you are not even beginning to engage or process this new reality, while struggling to react to situational demands and challenges.
• Denial — You are still holding on to the idea that this is temporary and that soon, all will be back to the old world: you will go back to your office, kids will be back in school, and this whole thing, if even remembered, will be a cool story to tell one day.
• Anger — You are realizing that the world has shifted and that you are actually woefully unprepared for it, that neither your schooling nor your work has given you the tools to deal with all this Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA). You might find it unfair, and even get angry, since you always did the right things, and you are still not “safe”.
• Bargaining — You might listen in on some webinars, look up some stuff online about remote work, the Future of Work, take that “agile” thing a bit more seriously — and maybe even the “mental health” and “mindfulness” thing. Maybe you even start thinking about some initiatives you could put in place for the future, once you are back in the office and all will be back to “normal”.
• Depression — Eventually, you will not be able to deny reality anymore. The overwhelm will hit you. Shit has already hit the fan. The world is in transition. The future is not going to look like the past. EVERYTHING will be different SOMEHOW. You might freak out, so it is key to be SUPER kind to yourself. Do what you can to find a place of calm again. #selfcare
• Testing — You are beginning to earnestly think about the future and beginning to explore what can be done. You might connect and open up to some peers or advisors, in earnest begin to learn what the future might look like, and take that commitment to learning and transforming your job or organization a bit more serious than you did in the bargaining phase.
• Acceptance — There will be a moment, when the dark lifts. When you are beaten down enough, when you surrender to the unknown. You will throw your arms up in the air, and — maybe with a bit of defiant resignation — accept the situation as it is — AND MOVE ON.

This is when Creativity starts.

The past has lifted its hold on you, you have come into the present, and you are now ready to create the future.

There is glorious opportunity in this moment of crisis.

When you take an iron rod, hold it vertically, and hammer it, it will eventually turn into a magnet as the particles align with the electromagnetic field of the earth.

Similarly, we are being shaken up right now in the midst of this transition, and we are shaken up, so we can more easily align ourselves with earth, with life, with its frail beautiful ecosystem on this tiny rock in the midst of vast space.

We have the chance of building new systems that are honoring our co-existence on this planet, our being part of life.

Individuals and organizations can now become Value Creation Systems embedded in ever expanding and evolving ecosystems.

We can align our planetary, organizational, and personal Cultural Operating Systems with this new awareness.

For that, we need new visions of the future, new ways of engaging with each other in collaboration, and leaders willing to step up to the challenge.

Are YOU ready?

The future belongs to those who create it. That is why I work with change leaders and their teams to create future-ready cultures and organizations…. Through my work with LUMAN and other projects, I provide frameworks and operating metaphors to support leaders around the world in their individual evolution and in growing innovation capacity in their teams and organizations. I have worked with startups, NGOs and with global brands in a variety of industries around the world. More at http://philiphorvath.com.