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Posts Tagged ‘Change’

Intentional Leadership — D3, W3, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on August 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Have you ever worked in a company that was failing in some way – production, safety, financially? If so, and if the company made it through that crisis, you were likely helped through the transformation by a change agent.

A change agent is someone who sees how things should be – especially in terms of human performance potential and organizational systems – and acts on behalf of the group/company to enact the changes that will make things better.

Sounds simple, right? Simple, yes. Easy, no!

Over the past 5 years, I’ve worked with two companies that were going through significant turn-around processes and both were helped along the way by change agents, although the styles and areas of focus of these individuals were amazingly different, both were effective – at least in the short-term – of turning the business around.

On a more personal level, I have been blessed to have connected with a number of change agents throughout the course of my life; mentors and teachers and coaches, who have offered me the benefit of their experience, wisdom, and insights, which have allowed me to develop a new perspective on my world, potential, and future.

Of course, those were the positive or enjoyable change agent experiences; I’ve had my share of the not-so-delightful ones, as well. But the point is, I’ve learned, stretched, changed, and grown because of them.

What has your experience with change agents been? Today, I encourage you to spend some time in reflection on a specific change agent from your past. What characteristics or qualities did they possess that made them a good change agent? What behaviors did they demonstrate?

Write down your observations in your journal and give some considerations to how you meet the criteria you’ve just outlined.

What are your strengths in this area?

What areas could you be working on to improve your effectiveness as a change agent?

After you’ve thought this through, and written down your thoughts, choose three characteristics and/or behaviors that you could model when you face change today. Write them down on something you can carry with you, and refer to them throughout the day.

At the end of the day, spend a few minutes in reflection with your journal, noting what happened, how you acted, reacted, or responded, and what the outcomes were.

How can you grow from this experience tomorrow?

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W3, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on August 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Have you heard the saying that sometimes our strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses? It’s true. You see, sometimes we rely so heavily on our strengths that we use them in a super-concentrated fashion, which isn’t necessarily effective. Or, we might rely on them so much that we forget we need to work on them to keep them sharp, and our performance falters.

Over the past several years, I’ve worked in several manufacturing environments in which I’ve been exposed to the Kaizen process. Kaizen is often included in lean manufacturing processes as a way to simply and fine-tune how people do their work. It has been very successful in Japanese companies. Essentially, Kaizen focuses on making continuous, incremental improvements or changes. It’s effective because of its focus on small changes. As you are no doubt aware, when faced with a big change, we are often daunted, overwhelmed, fearful. Small changes don’t seem to evoke the same levels of stress and fear.

So, consider how this approach might be applied to you. What if you took a Kaizen approach to growing and improving in your areas of strength, learning or strengthening new skills, and more clearly defining your strategy and action plans?

Do you think you could implement this kind of approach to your personal growth?

What benefits might you enjoy?

Would you be less likely to be caught unaware when the winds of change blow in your direction?

Let’s put it into action and find out. Today, pick a strength, skill, or strategy to which you could make small, incremental changes to each day over the next week. Track your activities and your progress each day.

Consider this, if you can make a 1% improvement each week, you would have improved your performance by 52% over the course of the year! That’s huge! Take it one step farther…what if you could improve by 1% each day…that would be a 365% improvement over the course of the year! Again, monumental change, but made in small, doable steps.

I can’t wait to hear what you’ve come up with and what your results are!

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W3, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on August 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

What is it about change that so many of us find so stressful? What if we could look at it in a new way? What if we could think of change as an opportunity? An opportunity to exercise and expand our creativity? An opportunity to learn and grow…to become more than we are today? What if we could embrace the unknown, rather than face it with fear?

Think about the things that have changed in the last 5, 10, or even 20 years of your life.

My husband just bought a new Blu-Ray DVD player (we’re not always early adopters!), replacing the DVD player we’ve been using the past 10 years. This made me think back to when I was in college and the first couple of years after school, when we would rent VCRs from the video store to watch movies on the weekend. I remember being assessed a 50 cent fee for not rewinding movies, on occasion, before we returned them…and how some people even bought VHS tape re-winders, in addition to the VCR, just to do this faster!

In looking back through photos recently, it occurs to me that while we still have one camera that actually requires film, we haven’t used it for nearly 10 years. I’m not confident I would know where to buy film for it now!

I could go on with additional examples, and I’m sure you have your own list of all the things that used to be “the” thing you had to have, which are now collecting dust in the attic, the basement, the local thrift and antique stores…things change. Time goes on. We have to adapt or be left behind.

As a leader, we must change; we cannot rest on our laurels.

I’m reading several books right now (I don’t have them all with me right now, so plears forgive me for giving you the exact reference for this), and in one of them there is the story of a company that manufactured horse whips – back in the time of horse-drawn carriages. The company was totally focused on making the absolute best whips available; and they were successful. The problem was, this was the time when automobiles were becoming more popular and available, and fewer people we traveling in horse-drawn carriages. Hence, the need for horse whips decreased dramatically. The manufacturer was caught unaware, and his business failed.

He wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in the market around him and he missed the winds of change. The result for him and his employees was life-changing and not in a good way.

Today, spend some time reflecting on your attitude toward change. In what ways are you anticipating a future that is different from today’s reality?

What do you need to be doing to prepare for that change, so you don’t miss the boat (so to speak) and end up with the VCR re-winder and the horse whip manufacturer?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

So, here we are, at Friday, again, and what an amazing week! Got a lot of things done; isn’t that often the case when we are pressed for time and have a lot to do? I don’t know about you, but if I have only one thing to do in a day, it takes me all day to do it; however, if I have 20 things to do in a day, you can count on me to complete most of them, or at least get them moving in the right direction if it’s not possible to complete them in a day.

But I digress, already! Today, I am in Orlando, Florida, with the John Maxwell Team for a week of training. Not just training, but reconnecting with folks I know, connecting with new members of the team (there are ~2,800 of us, and counting, from 90 countries around the globe!), refreshing some skills, learning from the Masters in the areas of coaching, speaking, leadership, communication philosophy, and Masterminding…exchanging ideas, swapping stories, getting re-energized. It will be another life-changing experience with this amazing group of people. At the end of it, I will be emotionally and spiritually recharged and excited about the future, and most likely, physically exhausted – but in a good way!

So, my weekend is full of connecting, communicating, learning, and putting the principles into practice. I will stay connected with family via email, phone, and text. I will sleep less than normal, but am committed to continuing my yoga practice.

The good news for me, in prepping for next week, is that my agenda has been defined, in many ways, by the JMT with the schedule for our learning while here in Orlando. I will, however, still lead my Empowerment Mentoring class next Tuesday, on Authentic Journaling. I can’t believe we’ve gone through the first 12 weeks of this program already (well, actually 13, as we skipped a week while I was in Guatemala). I will also meet with others engaged in Empowerment Mentoring, and with The Deeper Path Team.

I will spend time with John Maxwell, the Mentors (Paul Martinelli, Scott Fay, Roddy Galbraith, Ed DeCosta, Christian Simpson, and Melissa West), and will meet Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker and author of Life Without Limits), and reconnect with the fabulous Les Brown. What a week!

What are you up to this weekend? What have you planned that will allow you to rest, get required stuff done, nurture relationships, have fun, and set yourself up for success on Monday and in the coming weeks?

As we are focused on Change this month, what changes might you need to make in how you approach and move through your weekends that will better position you to attain what you want in your life?

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W2, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on August 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As you may remember, I recently went through a growth process called The Deeper Path; a coaching process facilitated by my colleague and mentor, Kary Oberbrunner. Part of the premise of this process is that for one to grow and realize one’s potential, we must embrace acute pain to end chronic pain in the various areas of our lives that aren’t working.

Today, spend some time in reflection with your journal. Take some time to think about the present path you are on in your life. What pain are you experiencing?

What’s not working?

What adjustments do you need to make to position yourself for success?

What three things do you desire to happen in your life over the next year?

What obstacles do you face in achieving these goals?

What changes do you need to make in your thinking and approach in order to get there?

Once you’ve spent some time identifying these things, take some time to map our an action plan for moving forward — starting today.

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W2, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on August 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Today, I encourage you to focus on change externally.

Who do you know who is facing a significant change in his/her personal or professional life?

What could you do to help this person? Sometimes, it’s as simple as spending time with them and listening; others, help requires taking action of some sort.

As you spend time with this person, and listen to his or her story, could you help them to see the situation from a different angle? As a coach, this is one of the things I do with my participants — help them to see another perspective that might allow them some new insight or ideas they may not have otherwise considered.

You might be able to help them come up with a couple of different solutions, and evaluate them…decide if they need to do something new, stop doing something they currently do that no longer serves them, or maybe even both (Yes! use the tool you learned yesterday — Know, Evaluate, Act/Change).

Who do you know who is facing change?

How much do you know about their situation?

What options are you aware of that they might want to consider when developing a solution or action plan?

Does the situation call for them to start something new, stop something in progress, or some combination of the two?

What is the best thing you could do for this person at this point in their life?

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W2, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on August 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

For many of us, we change only when we absolutely have to — literally pushed through it by forces beyond our control — when the pain of not changing is worse than the pain of the change. We change reactively, rather than proactively.

As a leader, you can capitalize on these moments because people are now ready to act.

There are times when we make decisions quickly and emotionally, without considering all the factors involved. These are the decisions born of reacting (immediate and emotional) rather than of responding (thoughtfully, and with consideration for the risks, consequences, and implications).

Here is a tool you might use in considering your options when faced with a decision involving change. This is based on the steps of knowing, evaluating, then acting (changing).

Know: What is the level of pain your organization is in? What is wrong, confused, or broken within your team or organization that is driving you towards a change? Take a few minutes to describe the situation.

Evaluate: Now that you are in pain, and recognize you must make some change, what are three potential solutions? For each solution, write down at least two benefits to moving in that direction, and two risks or implications that are associated with taking that action.

Act/Change: To make this change, do you need to start something new, simply stop something you are already doing, or go in an entirely different direction? Based on these considerations, what’s the best solution you’ve come up with and what do you need to do to make it happen?

What will it cost you to do nothing?

Whatever you decide is the best course of action, the time to act is NOW!

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W2, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on August 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Approximately a year and a half ago, I attended the Chick-fil-A Leadercast, and Andy Stanley was one of the speakers. I don’t remember the entire content of his talk, but one part of it really stuck out for me and I remember it frequently.

He was telling to story of two executives, a few years ago, I believe at Dell. They were struggling with an issue that they had to resolve, and weren’t coming up with new ideas. You see, they were so firmly entrenched in their paradigms, that they couldn’t see their situation in a different light. They knew their way of thinking at that time wasn’t going to allow them to come up with the solutions they needed to change the direction of their business.

Finally, one of them had a stroke of genius and asked this question: “What would our successors (replacements) do?” You see, he recognized the dire situation they were in and was confident that if they weren’t able to change their way of thinking, and change their corporate strategy, they would soon be replaced with someone who could!

Pretty sobering thought, don’t you think?

This simple question allowed them to think as if they were someone else, with different beliefs, constraints, perceived barriers, etc…and they were able to come up with some ideas that were a bit out of the ordinary for them, but weren’t out of the realm of possibility. Having given themselves permission to consider ideas they wouldn’t normally entertain, they were able to come up with some better responses to their situation.

And that, as they say, made all the difference!

Take some time today to think back on a time when you had to change your way of thinking in order to succeed. What was the situation?

What “barriers” (either real or perceived) held you back?

What pushed you into a new way of thinking?

What were the results?

How have you used that experience with different situations?

Having had this experience, how quickly do you now move into a new way of thinking when faced with a challenge?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W1, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Good morning, and Happy Friday! Thank you for being here, reading my thoughts…this is my 201st blog post!

Again, the week has gone quickly for me. I spent last weekend and the early part of the week in Colorado visiting my mom and sisters. Haven’t had the opportunity to do that in a long time, so it was good, but too short. Now, as this is Friday, and the next weekend is upon me, I am already planning my weekend activities, as well as those of next week.

Tomorrow, I will spend with my son and my mother-in-law who has recently come to live with us. We will travel a short distance (a little over an hour) to visit a Children’s Museum, do a little shopping, and have a lunch date. It will be good for all of us to get out, for my son to explore, imagine, and experiment with the many interactive displays and activities at The Clay Center, and for my MIL to see some more of the area.

I will also spend part of the weekend doing some writing in advance and preparing for the next lesson in my Empowerment Mentoring program, “World Famous”. I will be traveling next Thursday, for a week in Orlando with the John Maxwell Team (oh, how I love being with these amazing, energizing, up-lifting, encouraging, like-minded, growth-oriented people, literally from all over the world!). It will be a week of learning, reminiscing, growth, new experiences, deep reflection, and fellowship. It will be, easily, 12-14 hour days fully engaged; which is energizing and exhausting! Thankfully, my yoga program is portable and I can practice in my hotel room.

What’s on your list this weekend? Will you focus on you? Will you spend time with others? Exercise? Read? Write? Rest?

What do you need to do to set yourself up for success on Monday? And in the coming weeks?

However you spend it, I hope your weekend is satisfying and intentional.

“See” you Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W1, M8 — Change

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , on August 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As we have all experienced, “here today, gone tomorrow!” What is relevant today may be quite different tomorrow. Get your journal out and spend some time in both reflection and forward-planning. As a leader, it’s important not just to respond to change, but also to be able to anticipate it.

What’s going on in your industry and/or organization that has significant implications for your future viability and success?

What’s going on in your personal life that has significant implications for your future success and satisfaction?

What could you be doing to become more aware of the things going on around you, in both your personal and professional lives?

What steps could you take today to better position yourself for changes you anticipate as a result of this exercise?

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