Seeds can sprout from the concrete of the previous year.
Every year at this time I am both elated and hesitant. I am one of those people who makes Jan 1 a new start every year. Change management has taught me to be practical enough to know what is a pipe dream and what is reality/possibility. I find myself wondering, at about 2:00 pm on the first whether this day is any different than yesterday (you know LAST year).
After the endless barrage of negatives from 2009 seemingly emerging from nowhere, constantly, it might just be a good idea for all of us to begin anew. Realistically, there it is again, it makes sense to continue the optimistic parts of 2009 in perhaps a different approach or with a finer tuned perspective.
As with smart change management tackling 2010 or any New Year is about planning and describing an end state, grabbing historical good/effective and creating a process and a path that uses skill, energy, time and money to its full and efficient advantage. For me that will be continuing my path of 2009 to illustrate the need for high level strategic change management for the organization as a whole, encouraging/soliciting dialogue to refine, tweak and maybe change perspectives and calling out those rare scenarios where people and business are tied together in strategy.
My version will put skill into 2 to 3 high level initiatives; energy into exchange with people through writing, dialogue and interaction; and money toward the development of tools specific to client needs. My end state on Dec 31 is to make clear to at least one client the fact that change management can be covered with operational savings, to see at least one visible promotion as a result of my presence and to facilitate examples of the adoption of my perspective whether or not I am an active participant.
Those who are truly passionate about change management have the improvement of organizations and people equally in their end states for themselves. And what better time to start the process than the first business Monday of the year!