Always In Transition

What is the space between two transitions called? Transition. Get it? Steady state is rare these days. It seems we’re always transitioning to something. Thanks to Mike and Kim for pointing this out during their brilliant talk on strategic agility at Internet Librarian 2025.

During their talk they highlighted the need for mental models to make sense of the world around you. Maybe you prefer the Design Thinking or Human-Centered Design (HCD) angle. Maybe you’d opt for sorting insights into categories like the Four Frames, or SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats), or PEST (Political, Economic, Social, Technological). Find one that works for you.

Scanning the environment is a good start, but you can’t stay there. Move forward but remain flexible. Get people involved in the conversation. Liberate, leverage, and re-assign resources to strategic priorities. Treat storytelling as a strategic act. I think I like that piece of advice the most.

I’ve been working with two brilliant colleagues on a new e-course about navigating change (Hi, Megan and Beth!).

We’re not doing a “how-to-lead-change" course – but we will touch on leading change.

We’re not doing a “survive-the-supervisor's-crazy-whim" course – but we do explore how change impacts us personally.

We're not doing a "become-a-change-management-blackbelt" course – but we will introduce some tools that will help.

If you need an industrial grade change management certificate, visit the fine folks at ProSci or Kotter and get your fill. Our course is about our change patterns and stories, so we’re calling it “Thread.” We want to look at the impact that change has on our personal experiences and within our organizations – and how we might thrive even in situations of uncertainty.

Our curriculum is animated when learners test the ideas in their context and discuss their observations in the cohort. Learning is social.

So, when it comes to change, what’s the story you’re telling yourself?

Inspiration

Glover, K. & Meth, M. (2025). “Strategic Agility: Leading through change and complexity.” Internet Librarian Virtual Conference 2025.