“Manage Change or Change will manage you!”  

I’ve never quite understood this statement.

 

 

The word “Manage” means either ‘to make do with’ or ‘survive’ in one of its avatars – like “we managed to weather the storm”

OR

In the other avatar it can also mean ‘govern’ or ‘oversee’ – like “I manage a process or a team”.

In both cases, the end result is maintaining ‘Status-Quo’. If that is the case, ‘Manage’ and ‘Change’ is an oxymoron and cannot be used together.

When you say ‘Manage change’, what does it really mean?

Does it mean you just survived change OR

Are you overseeing the change?

If you are overseeing the change, do you NOT change yourself?

Where you change yourself along, referring to it as “managing change” is incorrect.

It only means you either

a) ‘Bring’ or ‘Lead’ the change yourself OR

b) Be ‘led’ into change.

Instead of sugar-coating the phrase, it’s time we ACKNOWLEDGE it as it is:

“Take Responsibility and Bring in the Change” OR “Be brave enough to Accept Change”.