A few weeks back, we had a wānanga at NAIA that posed the question: what are we doing to future proof the organisation? It’s a valid question in a world that changes faster every time we turn around. Change is constant whether it is in our personal or professional lives.
Personally, I had a reminder of that when our number one and only son went flatting. It was time he kept forging his own story away from home, but he has been a constant presence for the past 20 years and it takes some getting used to.
Professionally, change always comes around. In my area that has often involved how to tell stories in a context that mattered at the time, and storage of pictures and words. Every time it has meant a leap of faith and an acknowledgement of what I and others thought was important. Sometimes we got it right.
By holding tight to what we think is important in a personal and professional capacity, we can navigate change, or sometimes see the benefits. In NAIA’s case that is a set of mātāpono or values, which are a valuable lens through which to see the world. NAIA is defined by its whānau and mahi, but a line a while back from a CEO caught my eye. If you are not disrupting, you will be disrupted, they said. I have spent my working life telling stories and the essential points do not change but the platforms do.
Once, people used to tell stories around a fire. Some still do but there are plenty of platforms available these days to amplify the message. This headline from a Medium piece encapsulates the changes happening all around us: ‘How platforms like TikTok and Podcasting are changing the way we tell stories’. The author goes on to say that TikTok encourages people to tell a story more succinctly and quickly than ever before while podcasts take a different approach to telling a story.
Research shows that individuals coping with change should be positive, focus on routine and look after themselves. Change is inevitable and it is natural to be anxious about a future when you are not sure what to expect. Professional change can range from a new colleague to a new manager to new technology. Coping often means staying true to yourself and your values. Be positive and laugh a lot. This advice comes up for good reason. It works, although tell that to anyone losing a job.
Personal change can be harder to navigate but the same core philosophies hold true. Be positive (sometimes easier said than done), stay true to yourself and boost your own confidence while staying empathetic to others, even when you have little in common.
This can all sound a little trite, to be honest. But change is inevitable. It is how we respond that defines us.
Nā Mark Revington
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