Navigating in Neutral-CEO Message

 One of the phrases we have had since I arrived at OMH has been: "Its’ a new day." We say this to proclaim the new way we want to do business and the new vision for the organization. The old ways are memories we respect and from which we learn but not to which we cling; and the "new day" is to what we aspire. In William Bridges book Managing Transitions he describes the necessary steps to celebrate and claim the endings of the old way and to consistently declare the new vision. The most important point in this development however is managing the "neutral zone". The neutral zone is the time between the old way and the New Beginning. Clearly you cannot simply proclaim a new day and new vision and attain it without sufficient hard work. This is where we stand at OMH. We are in the process of managing that neutral zone and journeying to our new beginning. We have accomplished much yet there is still much to do. 

      As I was thinking about this I can tell you I was drawn to thoughts of the New Year and how people make resolutions to change but seldom keep them. Maybe if we take a little time to see that we are announcing a new beginning and celebrate the ending of the old way, we will better manage our goal of attaining the new start for ourselves. Remember, we all are typically in the neutral zone in some aspect of our life.

As we progress into 2012 with all the hopes and dreams of what we aspire to as an organization and a fraternity, may we be blessed with the wisdom and insight to manage our journey well.

Blessings,

Tom