transition – Page 4 – Reimagine. Strategy.

March 3, 2025

Hard Good News

One of the things that can make a transition difficult is when it wasn’t chosen—even more so when it follows a disappointment or perceived failure. It’s not hard to imagine that adjusting to the death of a loved one or an unexpected job loss is deeply challenging.

Which is why it can be surprising to people when a change that is voluntary, or at least comes as the result of a healthy evolution, is often very jarring too. When I was navigating the ‘emptying nest’ stage of our family (which lasted almost a decade for us—who knew??!), I remember saying to a friend, “I feel ridiculous struggling with this. It’s all good news! My kids are launching exactly as we all hoped they would—this is a happy story, not a tragic one. So why am I such a mess?”

February 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Adapt or Adopt?

Last week I had a quick turnaround between arriving home from Costa Rica and departing again to deliver a keynote and two workshops on adaptability in Calgary, Alberta. I won’t bore you with the details, but I can assure you that a series of travel glitches put my own adaptability skills to the test. I arrived to deliver the keynote with 15 minutes to spare (rather than 24 hours ahead as originally scheduled), wearing an airline-issued men’s XL white T-shirt and working on two hours of sleep. I told the group that it’s reassuring to know the speaker has experience in that of which she speaks!

November 18, 2024November 19, 2024

Curated Content on Experimentation

I had the privilege of running a session with the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Science last week. It was called “Lead like a Scientist,” and we explored skills that most scientists possess that also serve them well as leaders. One is experimentation.

My favourite go-to for this topic is Adam Grant’s Think Again, but I’d also point you to Adam Alter’s chapter on experimentation in Anatomy of a Breakthrough.

November 11, 2024November 11, 2024

Curated Content on Adaptability

Old narratives about change are themselves slow to change. Although we might rationally acknowledge that change is constant, emotionally we continue to resist and resent it, subconsciously waiting for things to settle down and ‘get back to normal.’

Have a look at Nadya Zhexembayeva’s recent piece in the Harvard Business Review. It describes both the pace of change and workers’ unhappiness with it. A couple of elements jumped off the page at me:

October 28, 2024November 4, 2024

Curated Content on Aging

With so much content out there, so much static and so many messages vying for your attention, I am very appreciative of you reading my work. I don’t take it for granted. Which is why I’m starting a series this week highlighting “pieces my readers should read.” My hope is that you’ll find my curation helpful in cutting through the noise rather than adding to it, as you reimagine your next chapter.