Change – scary or potentially brilliant?

Change – scary or potentially brilliant?

by | 28 Sep 2019 | Uncategorised

“Change” has a bad reputation. Too often, change is seen as an explicit threat, bringing with it unknown dangers, and almost certain risks and catastrophes. However, in this article, I make an argument that change, if managed well, offers up a wealth of opportunities. Giving change a bad name is not only unfair, but potentially damaging to business success.

According to dictionaries, a general meaning for the word “change” is

“to make or become different”.

The definition doesn’t include words like “better”. It also doesn’t include words like “worse”. And it most definitely doesn’t cover “and the world is going to end as soon as this happens”. The issue is simply that altering patterns of behaviour for some of us comes as a bit of an unwelcome stop-you-in-your-tracks distraction, in busy work lives which are already full of distractions. There’s then the fear of the unknown, another well-known human trait. Again, this doesn’t apply to all of us, but it does affect a lot of people. So if you add fear of the unknown to an unwanted and unexpected disruption, you create an immediate atmosphere of negativity.

Change Managers’s jobs are often to introduce change into situations or organisations. This has been a role popular in the last quarter of the 20th century, and it’s still alive and well. I wonder whether that is actually helpful – but the apparent separation of change from management as a separate entity is food for a separate blog…

Suffice to say, change managers or agents have often been viewed as outsiders, doing change at teams. Some say that this suggests that their existing management might not have been taking their management responsibilities seriously, and were looking to an external change agent to be the “bad guy”.

To be honest, I have been on the receiving end of this viewpoint, where, with a reputation in an organisation for being brought in specifically as a change agent, I have entered a meeting with a new team only to see shoulders sag. I hasten to add that these people didn’t actually know me, just that they knew I brought change and that was automatically a bad thing. I am happy to report that many of the same people in that room went on to embrace the changes we all introduced (important point, this) to such an extent they took on spin-out organisations to run for themselves. There is little so inspiring as watching people blossom when they realise the wealth of opportunities which open up for them, as a result of change.

And that’s the point. Change is what you want it to be. Seriously. Anything different is change. Our hair growing is change. The seasons shifting from Winter to Spring, as I write, is change. Our children maturing into wonderful young adults, keen to take on their futures with both hands, is change. It’s all good. It is all down to how we view the change, how we respond to it, and how we choose to behave. And this is important – as Viktor Frankl said:

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves

It’s fair to say that most workplaces pose sufficient challenges for most people’s taste, most days. However, the kind of challenge to which Frankl refers is one of choice; what will we choose to do, in response to this change? We can always choose opposition, either angry or – most often – passive-agressive inertia. However, what if we were to choose to simply be curious, and open to seeing what might happen? Not a massive commitment (but a pretty massive mindshift from the opposition viewpoint). What could happen if we embrace the change to explore the possibilities it opens up for us? What could we do to influence the change, to increase opportunities for our teams to thrive, to make our workplace a happier and more sustainable place?

This is where my starting point, of change being managed well, comes in. When you are a manager of people, those people will look to you to help them with their everyday work issues (and, sometimes, their domestic issues which have an impact at work). So you are in exactly the right place, at the right time, to support your team through whatever changes come along. And let’s be honest, many change expectations will be top-down affairs, with savings or sales targets imposed from above. This could lead to a real sense of powerlessness … if you let it.

Let’s imagine, then, that you were to bring this news to your team – and then invite them to work out the solution. They could be free to examine working patterns, practices and systems. They could be free to explore new markets and competitor / best-in-breed examples of other ways of doing things. They could even be free to decide what this could mean for future team numbers. They would be empowered, because they felt trusted to control their own destiny. They would be more understanding of the change required, and almost certainly want to share in its delivery. They would have more sympathy for your position as their manager, understanding you’re between a rock and a hard place. Most importantly, their eyes could be opened to totally new ways of doing things, and the opportunities (personal, professional and commercial) that this could bring.

How can I be so certain of this? Simple – it’s how I approached implementing politically-driven change in the public sector for over a decade. It was a straightforward, inclusive, transparent approach which really worked (and works still). It yielded the savings required (and bear in mind this was during the 2008 Financial Crisis and the austerity that followed it), and also created a range of different opportunities, some involving community charities, some involving commercial partner organisations in the locality, some involving former colleagues becoming entrepreneurs, emboldened by the change management process to go it alone – to great success.

Today, I work as an external change agent in organisations, supporting their change programme with their management, not instead of them, and by forming strong, trust-based relationships with those affected. Effective project management with a healthy dash of reassuring, very human, support and encouragement – and it is a winning combination.

I wonder how much fear of change, or simply being unable to grapple with “change” because you don’t quite understand what might be involved, is holding you back, personally and in your workplace. If you are reading this, and you run an organisation, are you demonstrating a change leadership approach which is working, or could you use some help? If you are reading this and you are tasked with delivering change for others, and you don’t know where to start, could you use some help too? How much is this lack of engagement in change actually costing you, in lowered productivity, slowing market engagement, lost income?

If a chat over a cuppa, or Zoom or WhatsApp, feels like it might helpful, simply get in touch. I am always happy to work with people to boost their confidence with change. There’s no harm in having a chat. If you think I can help more formally, that’s obviously great from my point of view, but often just a chat about a problem is all that’s needed … and I’d still be very happy to help.

Image courtesy of geralt on pixabay

Be Brave – Get a Coach!

Be Brave – Get a Coach!

by | 6 May 2019 | Uncategorised

Today, I was discussing the role of executive coaching with a prospective client. “I want to send my team to you for coaching. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, it’s purely so they can have a different perspective from mine”. What a relief to hear that!

In my related blog “Coaching, not fixing” I make the point that lots of bosses send me clients for coaching, meaning they think the coachee needs some sort of correction. So I was delighted to hear this enlightened MD explaining that he knew he could lead his team well, but that he was clearly self-aware and emotionally-literate enough to know that his team would benefit from additional perspectives, to help them to develop their focus, performance and operational capability.

This MD clearly has a good understanding of how to look after his team – and his business. I would argue that more leaders in business need to understand the vital importance to the bottom line of their team’s ongoing ability to excel … and coaching’s role in that.

This is where I believe coaching has a clear role to play. When decision-makers in large organisations face challenges, or even introduce changes, their decisions will have differing impacts on different people (even their fellow leaders). People are different and their experiences, values, beliefs and perceptions all act as filters on the way they respond to their workplace. This means a workplace will be full of people, all at different points along the famous change curve. A one-size-fits-all approach to the business’ ability to respond cannot reflect that diversity of response. That means that organisational strategies need to be more agile and offer different interventions to support employees to respond positively and with greater resilience.

I am arguing here for investment in prevention rather than cure. And the argument is based on simple business sense; I am recommending organisations choose to spend a defined amount on a supportive strategy which supports employees’ sense of being valued and able to contribute, which in turn has a high probability of building a more productive and motivated workforce. This is in preference to choosing to spend unknown sums, which may be high due to the acute remedial interventions required or the suits brought by disgruntled employees, which contribute nothing to the wellbeing of the workforce or the organisation as a whole, and which have the potential to undermine motivation and productivity.  Senior employees are still human, still needing recognition, still welcoming the sense of being a valued colleague.

There is also the ambassadorial potential for coaching. When employees receive coaching, its impact is often firstly that the coachee perceives the sessions as “time for me”. In other words, they perceive it as an investment in them by their employer, inferring a sense of being valued and, at a senior level, being prized as a key investment and influencer. This in and of itself has the potential to work wonders, as senior employees’ self-esteem rises, their preparedness to work within the changing workplace increases, and they are happy to cite coaching as part of that improvement. That knocks on, with conversations out of work, and serves to build the reputation of the employing organisation as a place which invests astutely in its workforce and takes innovation in work seriously as part of its business success.

In a CIPD survey, 92% of UK businesses reported that professionally-delivered coaching contributed to their bottom line performance. Coaching has an important strategic role.  It is proven to be effective, it costs less than therapeutic interventions, and it is flexible to any client’s needs. It can be used from the Boardroom to the shop floor, and it is even something companies can provide in-house. When the top 3% earners of Harvard alumni were surveyed, 98% of them said they had a personal coach.

So I hope that the prospective client who cares so much about his senior team will take on coaching as part of his business’ growth. If you want to join him, and show your thought leadership and innovation by investing in your top team and grow their potential, please get in touch.  

#coachingculture #coach #NLP #leadershipmatters #success #business #leadership #selfleadership

Coaching … or fixing?

Coaching … or fixing?

by | 2 Apr 2018 | Uncategorised

“I’ve been sent to you for coaching.”  How many professional coaches have heard those words, I wonder.  Quite a few, I imagine.  And almost all of those people “sent” for coaching were in fact, sent for “fixing”.  There was something perceived as “wrong” with them, and the magic of coaching is the next step in a desperate (or, more often, ill-informed) line manager’s progress towards some sort of disciplinary or that well-trodden path of despair, the restructure.

So what is wrong with “fixing”?  In whose opinion does my new client need “fixing”? What is it that is seen to be “wrong”?  If it is a reflection of a workplace relationship (or lack of it), then since when is a relationship only one way?  The line manager may well have a role to play in the perceived problem, and would invest their time wisely in a little self-reflection.  What could they have done differently, which could have made a little difference?  What benefit could have accrued from just a little difference?  Without giving it a go, the line manager will never know, will they?  So how will they ever know what coaching could actually do for their line report, when they don’t actually understand the issues in play?

Coaching cannot be simply applied like a sticking plaster as some sort of last-ditch remedial effort, if actually it is the line manager who has allowed the workplace relationship to falter to the extent they can no longer cope.  This isn’t leadership – it isn’t even competent management.  It is an admission of failure by the line manager. Is there something actually “wrong” with my new client?  Or are they simply better suited to doing something else, which could give them more reward, sense of satisfaction …or even joy?  There is always the possibility that my new client is simply a square peg in a round hole, and they may not be too sure they want to lose their corners just yet … at least not for this job.  Coaching here can help someone find their true purpose, and analyse where their current role feeds that need … and what might feed that need more closely.

Allowing your team to be developed and move on is the mark of a confident leader. Coaching is all about enhancing what is there on the surface, by helping the client to dig deeper and find answers within themselves.  Coaching is about positive progression.  Coaching is all about enhancing the client’s understanding of self and the confidence that grows from that.  Coaching offers focus, new ideas, a plan.

So what are the coach and new client to do? Simple – start by focusing on the positives.  What’s good to keep and build on?  What works well now?  It might be helpful to identify the areas of difference between the new client and their line manager – might a double-header coaching session help to explore communication difficulties in the relationship? What are the areas where the client can sort things out?  Where can’t they do this?  Helping clients understand the boundaries for their areas of control is crucial in coaching; many clients’ issues arise from trying to resolve issues which they can’t control.  That’s a recipe for stress, and best avoided. Coaching can be used to celebrate skills and restore confidence in areas where the client’s faith in their own abilities might have been shaken by the workplace difficulties.  Coaching will re-motivate.  Coaching can also help the client to remember what it was they loved about the job in the first place.  And if there is no love any more, then the coaching can help the client to pursue proactive career development options.  This can help return the client to some sort of contentment in their current role, and can also help create a less painful departure from the current job, into a job which is a much better “fit”.

So whether you think you have a problem that needs “fixing” (glass half empty) or whether you have an employee who would benefit from some support to give of their best (glass half full), consider what you want from them. Show yourself to be the leader you are, and that your team deserve.  Employ a professional, qualified coach to work with your team – or even with you – and reap the benefits.  And remember that as the leader, you have a key role to play, making conspicuous decisions to do what is right for your team, because that will result in what is right for your organisation and your customers. You may well have read something in this piece which struck a chord.  Maybe it made you think of how you had been treated in the past?  Maybe it even reminded you how you had been considering treating someone in your team.  If this is the case, or even if you would like to discuss the points I have made, please comment below or get in touch, and let’s have a conversation about how I can help.

Image: Photo by Shane Aldendorff on Unsplash

Can’t get to the office?

Can’t get to the office?

by | 1 Mar 2018 | Uncategorised

As I write this, snow is falling fast, if not thick. I live on the South Coast of the UK. I know, I know, hardly Nova Scotia. However, it’s causing havoc with workplaces and transport. That means lots of us are at home unexpectedly.

Taking advantage of unexpected time is always a good plan. Using that time to your long term advantage – especially when you are on paid time – is genius! There’s a well-known coaching pun, “Give yourself the Gift of The Present”. In other words, not necessarily mine, “Be Here, Now”. Stop what you are doing (making yet another cuppa, sneaking a read of the paper rather than the meeting notes you really ought to [be seen to] read, cruising social media …).

This extra time, away from the hurly burly of the office, is a real gift. How many times could you truthfully say you have stopped to think about what you are doing, and how you are doing it, recently? Feels a bit of a luxury, doesn’t it? Well, now’s the chance to make the most of that luxury, to take time to sit and think. I am not suggesting you develop a deep meditative state, but you’re welcome to if that is helpful. However, I am most definitely suggesting that you get yourself into a comfortable space, without distractions, and simply sit, relax … and think. Allow your mind to run free, helping it along with positive thoughts you can introduce into the mix from time to time. Don’t use this priceless time to sit and wallow in your woes or to fret about all the work that will be tumbling into your inbox waiting for your return. Instead, how would it be if you use this time, this precious time, to think about all the good things you have in your life? All the good things you have achieved? All the things you have done for others which were the right thing to do (even if they didn’t receive the accolades or recognition … it’s not about that, right?!)? By focusing intently on the positive, we can actually train our minds to bring positive thoughts to the fore, first, when we are problem solving.

Of course, every topic will have its downsides, but finding the positives, the benefits, the plus-points will help you to frame a project or a pitch in a way which will connect with your colleagues and customers on a deeper level. It will tap into their appetite for good things happening to them (it’s on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, folks!). Thinking positively also helps to bring potential problems and challenges into perspective. Your boss may not really have it in for you – they may simply be passing on some of the ridiculous pressures they themselves are feeling. That workload isn’t actually a mountain … it is in fact a pile of work, some of which could be done by someone else and some of which doesn’t probably need to be done at all.

So you’re surrounded by all this white … and there’s also a hush that accompanies snow … ever noticed that? Take some time to consider the whiteness. Seriously. It’s a blank canvas, whose purity can actually cover a whole lot of things. It simplifies. How about using that simplicity in your thinking? Focus on the simple things. What is going on for you now? What do you want out of life right now? How can you achieve what you want? What’s the first step or two towards getting what you want? When will you take those steps? Answer these questions in a considered and thoughtful way, being “present” (ie no distractions, no phone, no kids … just the still white quiet of a snowbound day).

When you have spent this time in your thinking space, you will find that you actually have a plan. That plan is worth writing down – you might forget it if you don’t. Write it down, keep it safe … and then think about how you implement it … how you actually take those steps. It may not be magical, but using snow-time to get into your thinking space can have truly remarkable results. Try it, and let me know in the comments how you get on. And if, having done a bit of this thinking and planning, you find yourself thinking that getting more of this into your life would be a good thing, please get in touch to find out how a few purposeful conversations with me could really get you a long way along the road to what you want from life. I can’t always guarantee snow, though!

Photo by Edoardo Busti on Unsplash

Where are you headed … up, around or down?!

Where are you headed … up, around or down?!

by | 9 Feb 2018 | Uncategorised

Uncertainty can be fun … provided you’re on a well-maintained rollercoaster or maybe a funfair ghost train. It’s not always great in business, however. Particularly if you are responsible for running that business, and have the responsibilities of having staff (and their responsibilities) to think about.

As I am writing this, the Bank of England is issuing warnings about interest rises. That links in many business operators’ minds as “uh-oh – wages and prices going up”. A fair link to make, and one which immediately focuses attention on the bottom line, and the business’ affordability. Business resilience is something many organisations (such as CBI and IoD) have published about. However, I am pleased to report that the Institute of Directors has also published on personal resilience and this is my focus for this blog.

By personal resilience, I simply mean that someone running a business is able to cope, on a very personal level, with the stresses and strains involved in everyday trading. That ability to cope varies from person to person: one person’s fit of the “jazz hands” may simply equate to another person’s cathartic outburst, after which they feel much better. Conversely, one person’s stiff upper lip and self-perceived stoicism can be seen by others as being buttoned-up and internalising stress in an unhealthy way. We are all of us human, with all the frailties and blessings that brings. This is about looking after your mental health and that of your team.

What that means, in terms of ensuring personal resilience, therefore varies from person to person because we all respond differently. We all of us have human needs, however. Basic, some would argue primal, needs. Abraham Maslow famously described a hierarchy of needs which is used widely (including by me!) to help people understand the motivational roots of their own actions and desires, and those of others. Crucially important to any leader in an organisation, this. I often combine my exploration of Maslow’s theory with that of another American academic, Frederick Herzberg, whose Motivation to Work analysed what motivated people in the workplaces he had studied. These two combine with a convenient level of overlap, which helps me to translate basic human needs into workforce motivation for my clients and their teams. If you would like an infographic summarising the relationship between these theories, please click here to download the handout.

Knowing the theory doesn’t always equip you to manage the practical implications of uncertainty. In fact, they can often be unwelcome details which get in the way of a good old-fashioned panic! So, having noted there’s some really great theory to read about your motivations and understanding in the abstract why you/others do the things you/they do, how can you do something practical, right here and now, to sort out your uncertainty?

That’s where simple resilience building techniques come in. First, it is important to realise, acknowledge and actually believe that you can’t control every situation. That is a massive first step to being able to cope. Next, it is vital to know what you are doing, the reason you are doing it, and to be able to analyse it (as objectively as you can) to see what is actually going on. It is important to know what you want from the situation you find yourself in. It is also important to know how much you want that change. Sound silly? Some situations require such momentous change (moving house, retraining, massive investment) that you may want to change them but that simply isn’t realistic … right now. That doesn’t mean you can’t keep that change as a goal (or, preferably, the benefits that change would bring you, as your goal … but that’s a different blog!). And in the middle of all this knowing, you need to be doing a lot of looking too. Look at your own behaviours, look at those of others. What do you notice? What do you like and want more of? What do you want to stop doing … or want others to stop doing? In the middle of all this uncertainty, this may sound like a really tall order. It would be, if you do all these things, all at once, the first time. How would it be, however, to give a few of them a go, to give you a bit more information, a bit more clarity? Wouldn’t it feel good to have a firmer grip on some bits of the problem, so you can make a real start? You would be able to see more things, clearer. That will help you make your first few steps towards resilience. The key is to stay in that place and not move back. So keep practising, keep experimenting, and you will find that you start to respond to new stressors in different ways. You may also find others respond differently to you – better, more positively maybe. And if you want some reminders of how this can work, here’s an infographic which has some top tips, to bolster you on the way to personal resilience.

So next time you sense that you are on the slippery slope downwards towards a panic, or even, heaven help us all, going around the bend with worry, try a few self-help tips to bolster your own resilience. You will soon be on the up!

If you would find it helpful to chat about your resilience, or like to discuss how I could help you/your team build resilience in the workplace, please get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.

Photo: Priscilla du Preez on Unsplash