A521.6.4.RB_SiegmundWayne

Out of The Frying Pan and Into The...Fire?

     Why would anyone want to go from a bad situation to a worse one? The truth is, anything that is worth doing, is worth protecting. When an organization finds itself heading down a perilous path, that should be the indicator that it is time to jump ship. However, if the waters are shark infested, how do you expect to survive? It is imperative for the sake of an organization's survival that a contingency plan is in place; and one that is more favorable than staying on board.
    Metaphors in storytelling are extremely powerful in the sense that it can take a very complex situation and sum it all up to paint a very clear picture of something. In the case of my father, who has been plagued with respiratory illnesses most of his adult life from smoking, it was he who needed to be led to a life boat in order to save his life.

The Frying Pan

     In April of 2009, I received a Red Cross message through military channels while deployed about my father who has found himself in a medically critical status in Arizona (AZ) where he lived. After being flown out from Germany to meet him, I had come to understand the desperate situation he was in. My father was admitted to the Sierra Vista Regional Hospital in a comatose state after taking incorrect medication sent to him by the Veterans Affairs hospital in Tucson, AZ (his significant other had called the ambulance for him when he did not wake up in the morning). After gathering all the information on my father's current condition, I began to think about about life after the hospital, if he survives.

Assessment

     While my father was on life support, and being tended to by the medical team on a daily basis, I was staying with a nearby aunt. One day, before going to see my dad, I went to his home to look for the medication he had taken . Upon arrival, I was able to see the conditions he was living in. It turned out that his significant other had done nothing in the ways of cleaning for some time. I had looked everywhere to find the medication he was taking, but to no avail. However, I determined that the status quo was no longer an option where I was concerned. HMU (2008) shares that "Successful change starts with a sense of urgency" (as cited by Kotter, 1996). I considered this to be an urgent state of affairs. A life-style change was imminent.

Resistance

   After my father woke up, and was coherent enough to understand what had occurred, as well as the gravity of the situation, my wife (who flew out from Norfolk, Virginia to be with me), and I explained that we were going to move him from his place in Sierra Vista to Norfolk once he has completed rehabilitation. At this point, we were met with resistance, clearly expressed by the looks on his face. Craemer (2010) states that "change takes time because employees need to move through their own stages of denial, resistance, exploration and finally commitment." My wife and I explained all the pros and cons of staying in his home, vice coming to live with us. Painted in the proper light, the decision was a 'no-brainer', so to speak. My wife and I told him if he still wanted to move back to Arizona after a year in Norfolk, we would move him back on our dime. My father reluctantly conceded at first, understandably. "People don’t want to change. They don’t believe in the change. They often feel demoralized by change initiatives" (Stanleigh, n.d.). As time went by, and my father's health improved, we continued to share with him all the wonderful things to look forward to. After the initial shock wore off of leaving his home, he realized it was a much better situation we were providing him.

Growth

     Six years later, my father has enjoyed much growth in so many ways; he was there for the birth of both my daughters, has moved out after a year into an independent living community for 55 years and older, gets together with me on a weekly basis, has made dear, life-long friends, and travels with us to be with the rest of the family on occasions...things he has not done for over 22 years prior to moving to Virginia.

References:

Craemer, M. (2010, April 29). Workplace wrangler: Leadership and effective change initiatives. Retrieved from http://blog.seattlepi.com/workplacewrangler/2010/04/29/leadership-and-effective-change-initiatives/.

Harvard Management Update (HMU), (2008, February 29.). Change management: Leading change without a burning platform. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2008/02/leading-change-without-a-burni.html.

Stanleigh, M. (n.d.). Effecting successful business change initiatives. Retrieved from https://bia.ca/effecting-successful-change-management-initiatives/.