p;tension between the excitement of new possibilities and the loss of familiarity that accompanies transformation and change.  Having relocated 400 miles from family, friends, and co-workers to join the Pursuing Perfection Team, watched my youngest son graduate from high school, and experienced the loss of my beloved grandfather - all in the last two months, I am, once more, face-to-face with the challenges and opportunities that major change brings.  I'm reminded of the essentials for survival in these kind of times and in this beautiful maritime environment of Bellingham,  a sailing metaphor seems appropriate:  Thriving in change necessitates an anchor, a compass, a map, and a life jacket. If we need to add a life-raft, we can do that later.

My role in the Pursuing Perfection project is that of Team and Leadership Development Specialist.  I'll be assisting the teams in our pilot sites to enhance their teamwork.  Over the next weeks, I'd like to share brief postings regarding my thoughts on the above survival tools and how they translate in helping health care teams survive and even thrive in change and transition.    

My outline goes something like this:

Using a compass:

• The role of vision
• The importance of clarity regarding roles and goals
• The power of perspective.

Helpful anchors:

• Do we know WHY we are going in this direction?
• What "grounds" us in chaos? 
• What helps us withstand the turbulence that come with change?

Using the map:

• Once we know what direction we are going in, what steps do we take to get there?
• What is the role of shared agreements?  How do we find them?
• How do we know if we are staying on track?
• How do we describe what we are doing in a way that facilitates our journey?

Life-jackets buckled!

• The importance of sharing the journey.
• Enhancing relationship in work teams.
• Personal and team resilience.
• Coping skills
• What's fun got to do with it?

My intent with this outline is to provide a structure for navigating the team-building journey.  In the spirit of continuous improvement, this will be subject to reflection and adjustments.  Stay tuned!

Cindy