Any of us who have been in the leadership or learning arena for any amount of time will be familiar with the Kubler-Ross Change Curve. I’ve recently been riding the wave of change. New clients. New office. New team members. A change of role. A change of commute. I’ve been struck again by the realisation that knowing something can be very different from experiencing it. Change is hard. At times, I’ve felt despondent, incapable, frustrated, low, confused. And I’m supposed to be leading this! These are not emotions I’m used to, and I have the added pressure of apparently being an expert in these things from a professional perspective. It’s good to remember how it feels, so I can better empathise with the leaders and professionals we support. To learn again how to surf the wave to the energising part. How that requires trying out the new.
One thing that has kept me going is our office WhatsApp. Genuinely, it’s the highlight of our office culture. This month we have had teams in eight different countries. Three different continents. They are all on the change curve too. New reporting lines. Different routines. Changes of responsibility. WhatsApp makes us feel connected. Secure. Supported. Chuckling in the back of a taxi on the way to an airport whilst searching for the perfect emoji whilst keeping up to date on everyone else’s news. Different timezone. New connections. Same team.
Pictures and emotions are somehow interlinked. As an educator I’m constantly searching for a simple way to communicate an idea. And then, in a flash, I connected some dots and the idea was born for… Emojis of Change. It’s such a joy to work with creative people who can turn an idea into reality. So, over a coffee in the new office, I asked Jonny to pull something together.
Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you: IW’s Emojis of Change. 