ANYONE CAN …………… CHANGE – Part 2
Last week I released part 1 with an introduction and discussion of business change which can be found here. This week I will address societal change and personal change the following week.
Societal Change
Like wow!!!!! COVID-19, Furloughs, Social Distancing, Working from Home, Black Lives Matter. Has there ever been a time that so much change has been crammed into such a short period? Society is struggling to figure out what is right from what is wrong and what is necessary from what is expedient. The conversations on these topics are generally political and personal. They have impacted households, communities, charities, churches and political parties.
Coronavirus
COVID-19 and the many ways it has impacted happened to the world apparently unforeseen and therefore unplanned for. The world has had to adjust to this in real-time driven mainly by government and scientific advice. We all have a viewpoint on how well or badly our respective governments have performed. My point is that society has been forced to change without being able to understand what the new normal looks like and without being able to plan a way forward. They have had to follow instructions, make best judgments, and find a way to adjust their lives and it has and will continue to be painful for many.
I hope all of us try to be sympathetic to the myriad of situations that people find themselves in and avoid being too judgmental. I have personally been unhappy to see the journalist inspired term of Covidiot. This is because although some have acted like idiots, when we don’t know the personal story, we can’t separate those who have acted stupidly from those who face situations unseen to you and I. My family and I were verbally called idiots when we were in a park for an allowed hour of exercise. There were 7 of us and I can only assume that she did not believe that we were part of one household (but given the next topic more sinister thoughts did cross my mind).
Even as we work out how this change affects us, we need to be patient, watchful, open and helpful to others. You may be the one in position to help someone survive and thrive through this transition.
Black Lives Matter
BLM has hit the airwaves in the midst of COVID-19 but, in contrast, this didn’t happen to the world unforeseen although the uproar was unplanned for. Instead, the world has historically chosen not to adjust, not to accept, not to believe and society has been able to avoid change up until now. There are many that can say this better than I but I will try to explain what BLM is and what it is not.
What it is!!
- A plea to greater understanding that the societal configuration from centuries (slavery) and years (segregation, official racial discrimination, apartheid etc) past are still affecting society today.
- A call to understand that while blatant racial discrimination is thankfully reduced and generally tackled, institutional racial prejudices are still alive and incredibly effective.
- A reminder that images and general descriptions that appear to be funny (golliwogs, bananas) or accepted to be true (physically stronger, faster, aggressive, angry) fuel an understanding that gives shelter to prejudice.
- A cry that it is no longer enough for you to profess that I am not a racist, but to understand that we need you to be anti-racist, whatever actions that may mean in your sphere of influence.•
What it is not!!
- Not a statement that black lives are the only ones that face racism. We know that is not true, but we require our situation to be addressed in its own light.
- Not a statement that only black lives matter. That is not the case and we are not saying that other lives don’t matter in the same way that the drive for women’s rights was never interpreted to mean only women should have rights.
- Not a statement that is anti-law and order. Instead, it is a call out of the prejudices that have driven too many police, prosecutors, juries, judges and politicians to make decisions and take actions that blatantly are worse if you are black than the same circumstance when you are not.
Please know that all we ask is that we get a fair shake of the whip at school, on the streets, in university, at work, in sport or wherever we may be. If there is a penalty to pay for misbehaviour or falling short let it be a fair penalty influenced by our misdemeanour alone and not deepened because of the colour of our skin.
I do not know whether society and the world will finally recognize that this change has been resisted for far too long. I am heartened by and thankful for the many of you who are not black that have joined rallies, posted on Facebook and LinkedIn, spoken to journalists and in your own way tried to create this change. I remain hopeful and watchful that this is the time. Am I right?
We at CTCM Change Management Specialists Ltd are here to assist your business to navigate this changing world and find your own path to success.
