Change, Choice and Windows 8.1

I have been reflecting a lot recently about personal change. Now change is my job, it is what I support people to do, but this change was all about my own choices.

I got a bright new shiny lap top , it is lovely,  it is a dark aubergine colour , really pretty. And it runs WINDOW 8.1

windows 8

Now people who know me think I am a bit of a gadget girl and I love the ‘look at what this can do’ side of technology, but actually I am not very good at working out how it works.

It takes me a long time to learn new tech. My usual pattern of changing over tech  is a painful one. I get cross with the things that have changed ( it’s unusual for me to get cross in most other walks of life)

angry woman

and I sulk when I can’t work out how to do things and I usually end with my pat phrase echoing round the room ‘ this is just stupid !’

So I decided I had to do this change over differently, because the only person who suffered with my usual pattern of change was me, it was self inflicted !

I decided to be kind to myself , I decided I would give myself the time I needed to learn the new ways of the mysterious Windows 8.1 . I decided I would run two systems for a while until I was comfortable to let the old one go ( normally I am very impatient to get the implementation done and finished – My Myers Briggs includes a very strong J, which drives me onward always to get things finished and in the bag as early as possible ). I decided I would be patient , not with IT but with myself.

And what have I learned ?

I like some of the new functionality of Windows 8.1 and  I love the tiles on the desk top , particularly the interactive ones. I love how I have been able to create a really cool personalised desk top that is just right for me.

And what of my personal learning …

Well given the right context and MIND SET I am ok with tech change. But most importantly it has reinforced a growing realisation for me in my OD practice that exercising CHOICE is fundamental  in relation to change. Some of the most challenged teams I have worked with over the last few years have had people in them who felt they had no choice. Feeling powerless and undervalued they lashed out their anger on all around and at each other. When we feel that we have  no choice  we can all react like this as  human beings.  It seems that feeling powerless  makes us scared and when we are scared ( even if we don’t admit to it ) we can  become angry . But in my OD practice I have learned that  we always have choice , we have the choice to decide what our mind set is going to be.

So changed  my mind set and I have changed my story…. I am OK with tech change . I have a new way to tackle it , I have proven to myself I can do it.

But the best bit about this tech change over to my new lappie … well it is still the lappie’s  beautiful shade of aubergine and the case I bought is just lovely … all the girls love it !

lap top IMG_0633

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