Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change
By: William Bridges


I liked this book for the most part. The main concept that the book preached is super simple:
Ending -> Neutral Zone -> Beginning
The book dragged on a bit when Bridges talked through lists of tips, questions, and steps to achieve success in these stages, but for the most part these were useful to reference by picking up the book again, rather than memorizing to regurgitate. He did give some great detailed examples at the beginning and end of the book; I wish there were more examples sprinkled throughout like some of my favorite Malcolm Gladwell books. So here is my summary from the book:
  1. Emotions matter: acknowledge them and show them
    • Especially during change, you can feel fear, anger, surprise, guilt, loneliness, or any number of emotional responses. During change you need to encourage people to feel what they feel and not suppress their reactions. Talk about it. Listen and sympathize. And share back. Change is hard and if you can help those around you feel like they aren't doing it alone it will be much easier to make it through it.
  2. Sell the problem
    • Change is happening for a reason. Too many times managers and leaders are too focused on the new and "are we there yet". Your team members are probably a bit behind in accepting it and you need to make sure to spend time on the issue, the why of the change. Only then can people move forward towards the neutral zone and making the transition actually happen... instead of just talking about it.
  3. Change is constant
    • Bridges acknowledged that change often overlaps each other and so having a deliberate end and beginning that happens at the same time for everyone is unlikely. Because of that though, you can encourage innovation and ideas while trying to implement the new change. Of course the something new that is introduced isn't polished and the best method until you start using it so allow for (and expect) tweaks along the way.
The long days of summer inspire me this week. I love being able to come home after work during the leisurely enjoy a drink, relax, and think. Sometimes I read a book, sometimes I sit in the sun, sometimes I go to the park with my dog, sometimes I work on a home project. When the sun stays up until after 8:00 pm, you really can do a lot before dinner and bed. A long day gives you the opportunity to do a lot of short progress towards a happy life.
Hemingway knew the power of a short story and how lots of little wins can add up to mean a lot. He knew only a few words can convey meaning. Here are a few inspirational thoughts for the week, inspired by Hemingway.

  1. Hemingway six word story
    • Step forward. Try. Repeat until happy.
  2. Career advice in four words
    • Experience isn't gained silently.
  3. Favorite quote
    • "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there in nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint Exupery
"Take. Me out to the baaaaaaall game. Take. Me out to the crowd." I visited Washington DC this past week and what was the most astonishing thing that I saw?

How many fun league baseball games were going on at the National Mall! There must have been over 50!! It was amazing to see all the matching t-shirts with the makeshift bases and fly balls. It was definitely cool to see all of the friendly competition. It made me think about what it takes to be a team, no matter how light hearted or serious it may be.
  1. Know your position
    • In baseball, you are either the pitcher, or the first baseman, or the outfielder. You don't overlap in your roles. On a business team, it is the same way; you provide the most value to the team by sticking to your strengths and being the person that matches the reason you asked to be a part of the team. Don't try to do it all and don't try to be something you're not. You'll be way off base (pun, I'm funny).
  2. The scoreboard is only for numbers
    • Sure, winning is important, in baseball and business. But you do get to decide what winning means to you. These home grown games in DC were obviously for fun and there wasn't a lighted scoreboard in sight. They were all achieving the goal of getting exercise outside and hanging with friends!
  3. Measure yourself, not just the team
    • Maybe you measure yourself against a league's wins-loses percentage, but the best players are not measured only on their batting statistics but rather what feels right. Are they a good leader and energize the team? You can still improve and catch more flyballs than the last game and it will add up. Don't forget to focus on yourself as a valuable team member.
And just for giggles, here are a couple fun facts:
Fun Fact #1: There are 8 MLB teams that have never won a world series; 2 of them have never been.
Fun Fact #2: The longest cold spell of winning a World Series is..... 107 seasons! By the Chicago Cubs. They last won in 1908.


When you aren't at home for a days or weeks at a time, the hotel room quickly stops become an escape from the ordinary and instead become a stuffy, uncomfortable room. The mattress, pillow, lights, and shower aren't on the settings you prefer. I travel over 50% of the time for my job and a hotel room can be tough to get used to and still feel refreshed in the morning. I've learned some tricks of the trade that hopefully you can use too!
  1. Charging your tech gadgets
    • One of the grossest things is looking behind furniture for an outlet. A tip is to look to the gadgets that are already in use in the room. In particular, the TV. These days most modern TVs have HDMI and USB ports on the back of them. Just swivel it to the side and plug in your phone. 
  2. Privacy from housekeeping
    • It makes me nervous having people clean my stuff for me. I've come back at the end of the day to my makeup meticulously organized on the bathroom counter. Did they use it before placing it like that? I'll never know. Instead of wondering if they do something strange out of curiosity or intentional, just hang the "Do not disturb" sign on the door knob when you leave for the day. It will keep housekeeping out and your stuff untouched. Just remember to hang up your towel and reuse it (you do that at home anyways!).
  3. Ask for the minifridge
    • I do not like hotel breakfasts. I'd rather eat granola bars in the morning, even at home. If I'm in a new place for a week though, I prefer to go to the neighborhood grocery store and grab breakfast (and/or lunch and/or dinner) for the week. Most hotel chains have a fridge (with microwave combos) that are on rolling carts. Sometimes there is a fee associated with it, but often there isn't. Then you can keep your juice cold until morning. :-)
This week I'm inspired by this picture: an overrun forest with a path blocked by a fallen tree. Sometimes you feel like this, in that the obvious route is not the easy one. In your career, there can be many cases you feel like this: market competitor, money, career path. How do you deal with it?

  1. Find another path
    • Often in life, the path you're on isn't the one you set out on or thought it would be. Why would this time be different? Maybe you wanted the path to go up the mountain, but instead it is winding around it leading you to a different destination further from view. It's okay to take a detour adventure; it's better than going back down the known path and not getting anywhere.
  2. Wait for the tree to rot
    • Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but sometimes playing the waiting game is not the worst choice. Now there is a limit to how long you should put your goals on hold, but conditions will change even if you don't. Maybe the rain comes and washes away the dirt causing erosion and the tree falls out of your path! It can happen when you least expect it, and you can continue forward even more determined.
  3. Blaze your own way around
    • Why wait for someone to go before you and lead the way? Go around the fallen tree any way you can. Be creative. Be a risk taker. Be an entrepreneur and show the trail who's boss.
Disclaimer: When hiking in parks, stay on the designated trail! Taking shortcuts (especially on steep slopes) causes erosion that can harm the area long term for animals, plants, and other hikers. Be smart about going off on your own and know your surroundings before jumping into them.
A resume needs to be easy to read. It needs to be simple. It needs to be fast to identify who's resume it is. That means the first thing on the page is your own name. It is the one thing that doesn't require an expert to wordsmith it to make you stand out. You are unique and your name calls attention to just that. Show the world what you are made of!
Here are three simple tips to understand why your name on your resume can send such a powerful message on it's own.
  1. Your Name
    • It may seem silly, but your name should be the largest thing on your resume. Truly it is the most important because they can forget everything else about you but if they forget your name, then you will never win. And you never want the recruiter to have to look for your phone number or email address. If you want the job, they have to contact you and use your name so make it as easy for them to find as possible.
  2. Middle Name
    • Should you put your full name on your resume? A good test for this is to do a Google search or a Facebook search. How many other people share your name? If it is a common name, or a name that returns negative connotation results, make yourself unique by including your full given name. You know that recruiters will search you on social media so know what is out there about you, whether you are the one that put it out there or not.
  3. Called by Name
    • A pro tip is to use your nickname on your resume. Still use something professional, but if you prefer a shortened version like John or Rich to Jonathan or Richard, then share that in your profiled resume. You can include both your full and shortened name if you want with parenthesis. For example: James (Jack) Frost. Write down what you want your desk name tag to say on your first day when you get hired!

About Me



So if you want to be happy at work like I am, then thanks for being a reader! I am a consultant that travels constantly and is always working with new people. I love what I do! I'm formally trained with an MBA and BS Engineering. At home and in my free time, I like to drink beer, travel, garden, read, hike with my dog, and play board games.

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