This is a funny tale of my personal tryst with change management. You see, as someone in the Learning and Development domain, I’m always preaching about managing change and handling unfamiliar situations. But little did I know that karma had a funny way of teaching me a lesson.

Disclaimer – What I’m about to share involves different mobile brands. But hey, I’m not endorsing or disapproving of any brand here. Although, the Android vs. Apple debate is an ongoing battle among some of my closest friends. 😊

October 2017

I had moved to Mumbai in May ’16, and it had been over a year since I last visited my hometown. My mom, my wife, and my daughter had already gone to Dehradun, and I was scheduled to travel there in a couple of days. Naturally, my excitement levels were off the charts! Plus, October is that festive month when positivity and excitement are in the air. I had this brilliant idea of surprising my mom with a Diwali gift. She had been using a good old Nokia keypad phone until then, so I thought, “Why not upgrade her to a fancy touchscreen phone?” And so, my search for the perfect phone began.

I browsed countless websites and stores, spending an absurd amount of time trying to find one. And guess what? I settled for none other than my favorite, the “iPhone 5s”! I was over the moon with excitement at the thought of presenting it to her.

Fast forward to my arrival in Dehradun. The moment had finally come to reveal the surprise. I asked my mom to close her eyes while I handed her the gift. With anticipation bubbling inside me, I opened the box and placed the phone in her hands. The moment she opened her eyes, I was prepared for an epic reaction like, “Wow! What a fantastic phone! Thank you, love you, beta!” But, as they say, reality likes to shake things up a bit.

She took one look at the phone, and there was a moment of silence. Then she said, “Mobile phone? Why did you bring this? I already have a perfectly working phone, and I’m quite satisfied with it.” Boom! Just like that, my dreams of showering in compliments shattered. Instead, I found myself desperately trying to justify my choice and convince her of how amazing the phone was. I thought she was simply hesitant because she hadn’t used such a device before. I believed that once she got the hang of it, she’d love it. But, oh boy, was I wrong!

She bombarded me with questions like, “Why doesn’t this phone have keys?”, “How do I operate this thing?”, “Why did you get such a complicated phone?”, “I only use my phone to make and receive calls; all these fancy features are useless to me.” I was left speechless, scratching my head for answers. Luckily, my daughter came to the rescue. I delegated the task of familiarizing her grandma with the new phone to her. And you know what? She did an amazing job. Though it took a few weeks, eventually, my mom got the hang of it.

Fast forward to 2022

Now, my mom had become quite comfortable with her smartphone. She was using various apps and fell in love with the phone’s camera. But as time went on, the device started showing signs of aging. The battery life diminished, and its response time lagged. It was clear that it was time for a change—a new phone. So, I dived back into the realm of internet searches and store comparisons to find the perfect replacement.

Initially, I thought I’d get her another iPhone, but considering her limited usage and my budget constraints, I changed my plan. After much comparison and countless hours spent on the internet, I finally settled on a Motorola phone from Amazon. Let me tell you, it had some impressive features, a powerful camera, a longer battery life, and a considerably bigger screen size—basically, everything you could ask for.

Now, it was time to face the real test—the moment of truth. With cautious optimism, I informed my mom beforehand that I was getting her a new phone. As I handed it over to her, I eagerly explained all its features and how it was far superior to her existing phone. I held my breath for her reaction, but her face remained blank, and I couldn’t quite decipher her expressions. Then, I noticed her eyes roaming across the length and breadth of the phone’s screen, and my heart skipped a beat. “Nice, isn’t it? It has a much bigger screen,” I boasted enthusiastically. Like a seasoned salesperson, I was ready to brag about its unique features. I was just about to mention the camera quality when she interrupted me.

“Yes, that’s all well and good, but why is the screen so big? It doesn’t look handy at all. I don’t think it’ll fit in my wallet.” My jaw dropped in disbelief. I was stunned, lost for words. This objection was definitely not part of my sales pitch. All my excitement faded away in an instant. I thought I had made the perfect choice this time, but life had a surprise in store for both of us.

The screen size, which I thought could be a “Plus” for the new phone, turned out to be a limitation and wait, that was not all, as shifting from Apple to Android brought a whole list of new questions.

“How do I go back to the home screen?”

“Earlier there was one common button to go back.”

“How do I find my apps?”

“Why everything is so different in this phone?”

Now, apart from my friends I had brought the debate of Android Vs Apple to my home as well. And, for the first time I didn’t really enjoy somebody talking in favour of iPhone, though I am myself an Apple fan. Well, there you have it, my amusing encounter with change management and the unpredictable ways it can catch us off guard. Let’s hope that the next time I purchase a phone for her, there won’t be any surprises—fingers crossed!