There are times when some of the values and mindsets of people are
no longer useful in addressing the challenges that beset the group or
organization. This could be due to a shift in the dynamics of the larger
environment or the emergence of a new threat or opportunity. To ensure the
group is able to adapt and thrive in a changed environment, deal with the
threat, or take advantage of the opportunity, the leadership work is to
transition the group to a new state of operating and refashion the values, loyalties,
and mind-sets of the people.
Transition, according to the
dictionary, means the passage from one form, state, style, or place to
another. In the context of real leadership, it is the process of shifting
the people to a new set of norms, mindsets, and attitudes that are more
appropriate for succeeding in a changed context. It is not a process of
completely replacing values but of refashioning values.
Generally, transition challenges emerge when those in authority
have a good sense of the direction the group should take, but members of the
group have various reasons for dragging their feet.
The condition of the people facing a transition challenge: People
in a transition challenge might see a need to transition themselves from
one system of value to another, but they are anxious and afraid, as the
process of transitioning can be overwhelming and disorienting.
The barrier that impedes progress includes
the people’s understandable reluctance to give up their routine habits,
practices, and priorities and replace them with another set. This process of
change can be threatening to their identity, loyalties, and sense of
competence.
The promise or aspiration (vision) on the other side of the
barrier: The
promise of a transition challenge is that if the group can renegotiate
their loyalties and can sift through their prevailing values and practices
to determine what they can carry forward and what must be left behind,
then their lives (or the organization’s overall condition) might get
better. 
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