Everything is temporary.
It’s funny how unprepared we usually are for change, even when we know it’s coming. Sure, plenty of things happen that we’d never be prepared for in a million years, but there’s also opportunities in our lives to proactively prepare for the eventual changes we know are down the road. Problem is, we humans get comfortable and won’t admit that our lives and situations will change — ever.
For example, our social media team has operated with a number of interns over the past few years. It’s been a great benefit for us, as it keeps headcount down and allows us to build a pipeline of future marketers from talented up-and-coming Millennials. It’s a win-win; until the intern leaves and we have to go through the learning curve all over again; the transition of information, getting the new person access to all our systems and software, training them on processes, getting to know people. Essentially, we’re replacing a key member of the team every 6 to 9 months.
It’s not ideal, but we make it work.
We’ve had a great run with an exceptional young woman who’s supported our team. But once it was time for her to go, we were all disappointed. Frustrated. Even angry. On one hand, it’s understandable. We’re exhausted from coaching, re-coaching, and re-coaching new team members every 6 to 9 months. It’s a pain in the neck, as you might expect.
But we also knew this day would come. Our team understands the ongoing challenges in getting headcount across our marketing organization, and we know that there are other pockets that need more help than ourselves. We’re surrounded by writers, editors, and designers working over their capacity. Those hard-working creatives need support and colleagues, and more importantly, an intern can’t be trained on those skills and talents the way managing a social media channel can.
So we get it, but it’s not easy. In fact, our team is reacted as if it’s a death. Sounds dramatic, I know, but it’s true. I saw teammates going through the 5 stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
It’s tough because we’re a close-knit team. We have each other’s backs and count on our colleagues to support us. It’s a bit of a foxhole mentality (but certainly nothing like members of the military who have seen combat together). Still, it’s naïve of us to expect that our tight-knit team, our “bubble” as we call it, would stay intact forever.
Change is the only constant.
We forget that all too often. We become martyrs, Negative Nancys. We gossip. We throw tantrums. We demand things stay the same, throwing around words like “productivity,” “teamwork,” “efficiency,” and “engagement” as excuses for why we need that continued stability. They’re all valid points, but we base them in unrealistic expectations. Nothing is forever.
We tend to acknowledge this point a lot when things get ugly, but why do we always forget that it’s also true when times are good?
My point is that we shouldn’t be a world of negative people, waiting and preparing for the shoe to drop every time work is going well. But we shouldn’t stick our heads in the sand and pretend to be ostriches, either. All of us will stare down unwanted change, eventually;
- The A-List actress who must work as much as possible because someday Hollywood will deem her “too old” for most roles.
- The Emmy-nominated comedian whose sitcom has been a Thursday night staple of “must see TV” for years, but slowly loses ground in the ratings.
- The company who’s riding high on an amazing product, but struggling to find their next “big thing.”
- The leader who’s built a team and division, only to see it dismantled because new executives come in and decide that things need to be restructured.
- The chart-topping band who spent over a decade playing dives before they hit it big with their debut album. Now they have to contend with the dreaded “sophomore curse” and risk becoming one-hit wonders.
- The industry who failed to keep up with the times, and now suffers due to a lack of innovation and changing world.
- The rich media designer who specializes in software and programming languages that are now outdated.
- The newspaper journalists who toiled for years in order to build a solid professional reputation for integrity, only to be let go by media companies as readership of newspapers dwindle.
You get my point.
Everything in life is fleeting. We can choose to ignore that fact, or we can be mindful of our successes and failures and appreciate them for what they offer us. If we want our careers and lives to grow and evolve, we must embrace change and see it as part of life.
Change is coming. Are you ready?
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