Almost a decade ago I read a great book, to which I’ve returned many times. It is an excellent resource in crossing the desert of change, something all of us will do many times in our lives, personal and professional. Here is a review I’ve written of the book and I encourage you to pick up copy. It’s excellent.
Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change by Steve Donahue (2004). Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
In the book Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change, Donahue began with the statement, “At a certain point the road ends. You aren’t really going anywhere – it just stops. Life is like that, too. Sometimes the paved road you’ve been speeding along quite comfortably suddenly ends and you’re in a desert” (p. ix). Donahue uses his experience of crossing the Sahara Desert in order to assist people in crossing the desert of change which often comes suddenly to a life that was calm, comfortable, and carefree. Without warning, life goes from contented routine to uncertainty, which throws most people into feelings of insecurity and outright fear. However, Donahue contends,
“Deserts of change, like my journey across the Sahara, can be an exhilarating adventure in aliveness if we know how to travel. If we allow our deserts to change us, to open us up, to teach us who we are and how to live in the moment, then nothing can match life and its deserts for excitement, fulfillment, and meaning” (p.14).
Shifting Sands is especially helpful to anyone who is in the process of navigating a major life change, be it professional or personal. Donahue takes people on his journey, from one diary entry to the next, based on the premise that “ultimately, the only way to cross a desert – [is] to go deeper into it” (p. 31). He offers practical lessons that can be applied to virtually anyone’s circumstance, whether the changes are proactive and planned or completely unexpected and unwanted. Lessons include learning to follow a compass instead of a map, stopping at every oasis because you may not get another, getting unstuck, how to best travel alone but together, taking risks, avoiding conflict, and learning to love the journey.
Donahue stated, “To cross a desert, we must find new ways to travel. But the old ways have to end before we can find new modes of transportation” (p. 63). This leads to another important theme in the book – to cross a desert, one must leave ego behind. Donahue stated,
The road to success is not paved with success. At times it’s not paved at all. The road to a successful life takes us through deserts where we get stuck and what we must do to get moving again is a defeat for our ego. Whether it means admitting that we’re wrong, accepting a loss, apologizing, forgiving, asking for help, or acknowledging our weakness, the ego comes out the loser by being deflated (p. 67).
Shifting Sands is an excellent tool for those who come alongside and coach others through the changes of life. The application of Donahue’s personal lessons learned are easy to transfer to organizational leadership, family matters, personal challenges, and any situation that demands that someone learn to cope with sudden and unforeseen changes in life dynamics. The person to whom these lessons are applied is likely to feel encouraged, hopeful, and determined to make it through their own desert of change. They will claim, as Donahue discovered through his journey, “All that mattered was heading in the right direction.”
If you are in the desert of change right now, I suggest you read this book. If you want to be prepared for when you find yourself in the desert of change, I suggest you read this book. If you want to help someone else navigate the desert of change, I suggest you read this book.
Lead well.