Cultural Change

Last week I had a chance to spend a week with people from all different countries, and industries, for a course on managing change. While the framework of the basics was the same as we all know – I did learn you have to have a specific vision about where you want to take your company and do a thorough implementation plan and then check the execution. Implementing a change in the operations of the organization and implementing cultural change is tremendously different. I am preparing to share my conference experience in a clinical rounds presentation soon but this experience made me think about each of you and how you have managed a "cultural" change in your life.

In our personal lives, “cultural change” would be something that is a permanent immersion or approach to a different way of life. For example, a “culture change” could include becoming a vegetarian, or adopting a new healthy lifestyle or maybe moving to a new part of the country. Of course having children and getting married mark changes as well.

If I had to name just one cultural change in my personal life, I would say it was adjusting to being divorced. It wasn’t just not being married anymore, it was really learning how to be comfortable in my own "skin." That means being alone and not just filling time, but really learn to be thankful for the time I had alone and finding ways to embrace the change. Like most things in our lives, I was resistant at first and gradually began accepting this new way to live - not just a way of life - but a way to live. So as always, I am interested in what cultural change you have made in your life and how you adopted it.

You can be anonymous! I truly believe sharing some of your personal experiences or best practices are helpful for your friends and colleagues and they may certainly apply at work too.