Integritus Prime

Change can be difficult, especially when we are busy and feel settled into our routine. Transitions, however, can provide us with opportunities for success, motivation, learning, solutions and much more. We talked briefly about this in our Beyond Medicine: Wellness in Transition series some weeks ago. Here, we want to share with you more details as to how transitions can provide not only benefits but also opportunities and solutions.  We need to approach transitions with an open mind to start off with; this applies to both transitions that are intentional or unexpected.

Planned transitions include a change of residence, new job or move to another state or country. Sometimes, the transitions in our personal lives can be sudden, such as the death of a loved one, job loss or sudden onset of disability perhaps due to lifestyle diseases. In a work situation it could be moving work premises, promotion, demotion, a merger or privatization.

Being opportunity and solution oriented gives us a positive outlook to these changes. New things happen in a transition and there may be many opportunities in the work environment to change roles, improve on efficiency, and adjust procedures and protocols accordingly. In the case of personal transitions, we could purge our belongings before moving, re-arrange furniture for better airflow and lighting, and introduce new gadgets for energy saving such as solar panels. In the pandemic situation there was a major transition and working people had to set up offices at home so they could continue to work, shopping habits had to be changed, and personal hygiene became absolutely necessary. We found solutions and adjusted our lives according to needs of the situation.

People assuming management roles need to be trained in a solution-oriented approach. Being oriented to solutions and opportunities helps create a learning environment, brings out the skills of team members and institutes a culture of resilience. We’ve distilled 3 tips on how the solution-oriented approach fulfills our needs in transitions:

1. Efficacy: Remember that we are capable of taking on changes, which happen all the time. For example, our body, needs, and preferences change as we age, technology and the environment are always changing, and time is always passing by – no new moment is like a previous one. We already live in constantly changing environment internally and externally

• Autonomy: We have the freedom to choose how we want to adjust to a given transition. Sometimes, we decide that the current change is not what we want so we opt for a different change, like changing our jobs if the current one is transitioning into something beyond our expectation or comfort zone.

• Social Support: We have access to our social network to support us through transitions. So, it is good to stay connected to our trusted friends and family during major transition because they know us well and can help us find the right opportunities and solutions as we navigate changes.

Share with us your solution-based approach in transitions so we can all learn together.