For
ambitious executives working in dynamic global businesses, big career
transitions—to new roles, organizations, industries, or geographic
locations—are a fact of life. So is the need to constantly adapt to new
technologies,
work groups, strategies, and ways of thinking and behaving. And yet even
seasoned professionals find this sort of change difficult. Management
researchers have a lot to say about the best way to approach
organizational change, but when it comes to personal
transitions, there is no blueprint for success. Over years working with
MBA students and executives, the author has developed a framework to
help in thinking about change. It involves navigating the Seven C’s:
complexity (considering all the issues in a particular
change effort); clarity (understanding and prioritizing those issues);
confidence (believing that one can be successful in making the change);
creativity (brainstorming innovative solutions to problems that arise);
commitment (beginning to implement the change);
consolidation (leaving behind the previous identity to adopt the new
one); and change (living into the change and its consequences).
[ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]