Change is Like Hiking
I love a good hike. Moving my body, creating a bit of exertion, hopefully seeing some good vistas or interesting things along the way, maybe having good conversations with hiking companions.
Yes, I love hiking. Except when I don’t. When the weather gets cold or rainy. When we’ve hiked a looooong time and I’m tired and I can feel blisters starting. When it seems the whole hike has been uphill and I don’t want to “feel the burn” anymore. Or worst, when we don’t end up where we thought we would and we realize that we’re no longer “hiking” - we’re lost.
All of these dynamics can be true about change. It can be fun, exciting, and bring us new experiences. And it can be exhausting, painful, and even create a sense of disorientation.
Luckily, there are maps to help us along the hike of change.
Maps and Models
One of the most popular maps of change is the “change curve” based on the work of Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ research on the grieving process. This is often combined with Bridges’ Transition Theory, which adds that every transition includes an ending, a neutral zone, and new beginnings.
These models are widely used in management and leadership training and offer valuable perspectives on the change process. They can provide a “map” of sorts to guide a person or organization through transition.
But I’ve discovered a model for change that builds on this work and provides a much more robust and nuanced view of the change process. I’ve found it extremely helpful in my own experiences of change during the past few years, so I want to share it with you.
This newer model is from Dr. Britt Andreatta in her book, Wired to Resist. You’ll find much more detail about this model in the book and on her website, but I’d like to share an overview here so that you can begin to get a different perspective about the changes you’re going through right now.
Value of the Change Quest Model™
Dr. Andreatta calls her model of change the Change Quest Model.™ As we’ll see later, this connects with the view of change as a journey (or a hike). It’s applicable to both personal change and professional change and is especially helpful for those who lead change.
What I appreciate most about this model is that it acknowledges and responds to the reality that not all changes are created equal. Change – and its impact on us – varies widely, based on several factors which are accounted for in the Change Quest Model™.
Different levels of disruption. How much disruption will the change create in your life?
What’s more disruptive – changing the photos and frames in your living room or remodeling your kitchen?
What’s more disruptive – having to learn a new email system at work or going through a merger (of organizations or of departments)?
Unless there’s something REALLY tricky about your living room walls, the kitchen remodel project is likely much more disruptive to daily life. While having to learn the new email system is challenging for a time, the merger is likely more disruptive.
The more disruption, the larger the impact of change, and typically, the more emotion and exhaustion we’ll experience.
For your reflection: Think of a change process you’re going through right now. What’s the degree of disruption (low or high)?
Different lengths of time. How long will it take until a new normal is established? The dynamics of a change process will vary depending on how long the transition drags on.
Which takes longer – living into a caregiving role for an aging parent who’s been diagnosed with a chronic, slowly debilitating disease, or transitioning your kids from summer vacation to a new school year?
Which takes longer - getting accustomed to a new check request process or getting accustomed to a new manager?
Our responses and ability to cope effectively are impacted by the timeline for the change. Longer changes take more stamina.
For your reflection: Recall the change process you thought of earlier. What’s the timeline?
Different entry points and motivation levels. Some changes are ones we wanted, asked for, or desired. Others are unwelcome visitors. Some changes are ones we chose. Others were thrust upon us.
Which change will you engage with more positively and actively – learning a new role you got as a promotion that you’d applied for, or learning a new role you got when your organization eliminated your department and gave you the choice of moving to a different department or packing your things?
Our levels of desire and choice impact how we engage with change and the impact it has on us.
For your reflection: The change you’ve been reflecting on: How much did you desire this change? Did you choose it?
Different amounts of change. A change that is low in disruption and time might not impact us very much. Unless it’s the tenth such disruption in a short period of time, in which case, it may well become the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.
When we are dealing with several change processes at the same time – in our personal and professional lives combined – we can quickly max out our personal capacity to manage such changes effectively.
We each have a different level of “bandwidth” for change, and we each are carrying different amounts of changes at the same time. Every change carries weight, and the more changes we’re holding, the harder it is to function effectively.
For your reflection: How many other change processes are you going through right now?
Four Types of Change
The Change Quest Model™ takes all of this into account, and uses a metaphor of hiking to describe four types of change:
From Wired to Resist, Dr. Britt Andreatta
Long and Intense Climb: highly disruptive, takes a long time
e.g. kitchen remodel, organizational merger or department re-organization
Quick Hike Up a Steep Hill: highly disruptive, but over more quickly
e.g. sending my kid to college, adjusting to a new computer system
Long, Steady Trek: less disruptive, but goes on for a long time
e.g. caregiving for others, adjusting to a new manager
Pebble on the Trail: less disruptive, over quickly
e.g. rearranging photos and frames on the wall, getting a new printer or copier
For your reflection: Which type of “hike” is the change you’ve been thinking about?
Four Types of Travelers
The Change Quest Model™ also categorizes the types of attitudes we will enter into change processes with, based on our level of desire and whether or not we chose the change.
Run: change was desired and chosen
e.g. you got the new job you really wanted
Walk with Purpose: change was desired (or perceived as good) but not chosen
e.g. you got fired from a job that was killing you, and now you have a chance to find a job that fulfills you
Trudge: change was not desired but was chosen
e.g. you don’t like the new job the organization offered but choose it instead of being laid off
Resist: change was neither desired nor chosen
e.g. your department is reduced by 50% and your workload just effectively doubled
For your reflection: Which type of “traveler” are you in the change you’re going through?
Map Your Changes
Once you can identify the type of change you’re experiencing and the “traveling attitude” you’re approaching it with, a helpful next step is to map ALL your current changes (and upcoming changes that you can see coming).
For each change you map, add in the word that describes the attitude and motivation you are bringing to those changes, noting that “trudging” and “resisting” will add “degrees of difficulty” to the change.
Layering your changes on a timeline can be incredibly valuable, as it helps you to see the times when your bandwidth might be maxxed out.
For your reflection: What does your “change map” look like right now? Are you currently in – or heading towards – a period of intense exertion from change?
Tips for the Hike:
Analyzing our changes with the Change Quest Model™ is helpful, but it doesn’t remove the challenges we’ll encounter as we undergo the journey. Of the many strategies that can help you prepare for and navigate these “hikes” more successfully, here are my top three suggestions:
Take inventory: Look at your map of recently completed, ongoing, and soon-to-come changes. Do you see a season that might have too much change layered into it? Do you have any ability to adjust the timelines to ease the weight and disruption? Seeing periods of high levels of change is an invitation to create a plan for self-care during those periods.
Find support / engage in self-care: Be intentional about creating support for yourself by creating a plan based on the change you’re experiencing and that you can see coming. Take time off after completing a big change. Build in breaks during long or steep change processes. Figure out what good self-care looks like for you and build it into your schedule. Be sure to consider your physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
Participate actively. Try to reframe your situation to move out of “victim” mode or passivity. Instead, be proactive. Learn about the change, what’s expected, and why it’s happening. Try to connect the reason behind the change to your deeper values. Partner up and find a buddy who you can lean on when things get hard. Try to map the change journey and define the milestones along the way so that you can feel a sense of progress and accomplishment as you go.
For your reflection: Which tip do you need to implement today to help you manage your current changes more purposefully?
Phew! What a hike! This blog was a longer journey than usual, and you might be tired from the trek. But I hope it’s given you a “new vista” – a new perspective on change in your life, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the “conversation” with me as we’ve hiked along.
If you’re in the midst of significant change, remember that you don’t have to go it alone. In fact, you really should never hike alone!! If you’d appreciate the outside perspective from a companion on the trail, I’m here for you – every step of the way, no matter how steep, no matter how long. Happy trails!
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