Can You Manage Sea Change?

One of my visits to the beach left me thinking about the term, ‘sea change.’ What exactly is the connection between ‘sea’ and ‘change’? Delving into the dictionary for its meaning, I was able to figure out that it can mean: transformation, a u-turn, reversal, change of heart, etc.

Etymologically speaking, William Shakespeare used the term ‘sea change’ in The Tempest to mean the change of Ferdinand caused by the sea. Shakespeare used the word to mean a transformation of form while substance remains the same. However today we use this term to mean a change which is large and sudden.

Ignoring the confused usage, I set about thinking about change and what it means to us. We resist any change that disrupts our routine and time- tested ways of doing things. Change makes us anxious and disoriented. We resist change by being passive and cocooning ourselves. And as change stares at us, we adopt tactics like offering resistance, criticizing and being cynical about it.

Given the turbulent environment of the days, can the waves of personal sea change ever leave us untouched? The answer is ‘no.’ So, how do we cope with this?

Here are the five A’s of managing sea change:

a) Accept – Change is here to stay. Remember in the evolution chain, we human beings started off by sharing a common ancestor with the apes. Look at how far we have come since then.

b) Adapt – Our forefathers had a wonderful capacity to live through sea changes in their times. They had the resilience to face and survive change under extremely harsh circumstances. If they were unable to manage change, we wouldn’t be here today. We share their DNA and are created to be flexible so we can adapt to change.

c) Analyze – Change brings in both good and bad. Initially things could turn out to be bad, but we must believe that the final outcome will be good. See the woods, not the trees or the shrubs.

d) Act – Having analyzed the situation, the next step in change management is to work out a plan to meet change, manage it without trauma and then implement the conditions.

e) Await – Last but not least, await and prepare for the next wave of change.

And as the old saying goes, “Change is the only thing in life that is permanent.” Let us stop being a change-phobic and remember that we are all masters in change management.