Editorial
From Our Perspective
From the News for
a Change newsroom…
DH: Our last
two issues have focused on the
future.
JR:
We’ve looked into what’s happening with
quality and teams, as well as how our roles are expected
to change.
DH: Last month
we also asked a panel of experts to test some hypotheses
about past and future trends in the field. We’ll be
looking at their remaining opinions on our speculations
this month.
JR: We
explored how AQP members can prepare for the future,
growing professionally and improving their
organizations.
DH: In fact,
we concluded that it’s more important to prepare
for the future than to waste time trying to predict
it.
JR:
That’s right, and in our last issue, we delved into
ways that a Baldrige assessment can help us evaluate our
current state and identify changes that will help us be
better prepared.
DH: In this
issue, we’re going to take one last look at the
future.
JR:
We’ll also be considering how events of the past
year have changed us and how those changes are likely to
change our future.
DH: Yes,
we’re approaching September 11 and we’ve
gathered input from a variety of people on how their
lives have changed since last year’s tragic
events.
JR: When
situations like this occur, it’s wise to compare
our initial reactions to the perspectives we develop
after time passes. It’s also wise to ask what
we’ve learned from our experiences and how we can
apply what we’ve learned in the
future.
DH: As with
any change, we move past the stages of shock, denial,
grief, and other strong
emotions.
JR: We start
to come to grips with our new reality, experimenting with
ways to adjust to and succeed in the changed world that
surrounds us.
DH: It’s
not that we lose sight of the
past.
JR: No, the
past remains with us forever, giving us a baseline for
comparison.
DH: But the
past doesn’t keep us from moving forward. In fact,
many of our greatest accomplishments have come in
response to crises—times when we’ve banded
together, pooled our resources, supported each other
emotionally, and brought incredible energy and creativity
to solving our problems.
JR: We learn
from the ways we react and respond to trying
times.
DH: We become
more capable of dealing with adversity in the
future.
JR: We develop
the ability to honor the past without clinging to
it.
DH: We develop
an inner fortitude that gives us the spirit to face the
future—no matter what it
holds.
JR: And
that’s News for a
Change.
Quote for the
Month:
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing
can be changed until it is faced.
—James Baldwin
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a Change Homepage
