Transitions are tough, even if you are a war hero. In this episode of Management Muse, former U.S. Army Special Operations (Ranger) officer and founder of the management consulting firm Praevius Group, Nate Self, talks about the most challenging transitions in his life, and shares his advice for more smoothly navigating work and home transitions. Episode Highlights

• Transitions can be: Structured or unstructured, abrupt or deliberate, and voluntary or involuntary.
• When possible, try to consider the complexities of transitions before making them.
• Abrupt and involuntary transitions are often particularly jarring.
• Group membership and other external resources, such as family, communities, religion, hobbies, etc, can provide critical support and stability during transitions.

Timestamps [1:43] Nate gives examples of different types of transitions, including structured vs. unstructured, abrupt vs. deliberate, and voluntary vs. involuntary. [6:25] Nate talks about the importance of considering the challenges and complexities of transitions before making them. [9:50] Nate describes the value of considering important relationships during transitions. [13:26] Nate shares recommendations for managers, leaders, and organizations to help individuals make good transitions. [20:03] Geoff describes multiple role theory, and how it relates to transitions. [30:29] Cindi shares an example of how one person’s transition can spur transitions for people close to them. [36:44] Geoff notes that managers are often the instigators of abrupt change for other people, and Nate shares how managers can blunt some of the counterproductive impacts of fast change. [39:15] The group discusses final transition advice for managers. Episode Quotes “The number one thing that’s at stake in your transitions is the relationships that you have. I think it’s the most important part of our lives. Our jobs are typically the source of most of our transitions… But there are some transitions that are relationship-based, and those are the most painful ones. Sometimes, when we change roles or we change jobs, we unknowingly have collateral damage in our relationships. So, that’s one of the things I would want to emphasize: You have to account for your relationships first.” -Nate Self “People have a tendency, when they feel uncertainty, to just make a decision, even if it’s a bad decision, because they just want to get out of uncertainty. Discipline yourself not to do that. Live with uncertainty and get yourself in a better spot.” – Cindi Baldi About Nate Self Nate is a former U.S. Army officer and founder of the Praevius Group Nate graduated from West Point with honors and served on active duty in Germany, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Nate speaks extensively on the topics of transition and personal growth, and he lives in Central Texas with his wife and four children. Resources Ashforth, Blake. Role transitions in organizational life: An identity-based perspective. Routledge, 2000. Kyprianides, A., M. J. Easterbrook, and R. Brown. "Group identities benefit well-being by satisfying needs." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 84 (2019): 103836. Brook, Amara T., Julie Garcia, and Monique A. Fleming. "The effects of multiple identities on psychological well-being." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 34.12 (2008): 1588-1600. https://culsure.com/coaching/
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