Stacey Stone “Change is Change is Change..”
Change is Change is Change: Seven Points to Survive Change
(inspired by Kevin Krueger)
We sang a song at church on Sunday that says “He has good plans for me. If I know my Father, I know He has good plans for me.” Sometimes those good plans mean big change for a broadcasting company or a station and this directly impacts their employees. At WGTS 91.9 we have experienced inevitable change numerous times in the past few months and our CEO/President Kevin Krueger addressed the change with seven points to help us (and you) through.
#1 is to acknowledge how it feels when change happens. There may be grief involved if you were close to the person leaving or changing jobs. It is so important to sit with those emotions and to feel the loss when it happens.
#2 is reflecting on the time shared together. Dr. Seuss said “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” I would counter that with it’s okay to do both. Pulling up those memories and sharing them with each other can help process that the memory making might be done.
#3 celebrates the successes and impact of the time that you worked together. You can look at business projects that you worked on together or the changed lives that happened because God chose you both for “such a time as this.”
#4 focuses on moving forward. The first few days or weeks will be very different, but you still must achieve the work for the Lord that you were doing before. How can you grow through this process and not focus on the past? Is there something you would like to learn so that your mind is engaged? I’m not saying to not be sad, but you still have the life you are to live and growing through the pain is the best way to come out on top.
#5 may be the most difficult point of them all: keep the connections made. I am on the phone with my “radio kids” texting or talking often but having them in office was always the best. The reverse mentoring that we provided to each other was always cultivated in person but we strive to work harder at keeping in touch.
Quick side note: Yes, Johnny and I have “radio kids” that we have mentored and cared for throughout their early 20’s and even into their 30’s. They still reach out to provide care for us and to also ask our opinions on various life decisions, including making a change.
#6 is looking ahead with gratitude. Gratefulness changes everything. Being thankful to God for giving you the opportunity to work together in the first place. Taking it even a step forward and being grateful that the person leaving was born and grateful to their parents for raising them into a person you wanted to work with. And finally, you cannot work with another person and not be changed by the experience. Showing gratitude for the impact that they have had on your life is a great way to lower the anxiety you feel about change.
#7 change is constant. Johnny’s dad used to quote Will Rogers when he would advise him, “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Here’s to the ones of us willing to take the chance to make the change and to the ones that are left behind. May we all have the grace to celebrate both decisions at once.
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
Stacey Stone serves God by loving her husband, Johnny Stone, her family and friends, along with her little dogs and her listeners on WGTS 91.9, Washington DC. In addition to her 26 years in broadcasting, she is a licensed professional counselor with a private practice in Maryland, a public speaker, and the author of The Rescued Breed: When Jesus Shows Up And Transforms Your Pack. She can be reached HERE.
