Do You Stay Awake During Your Change Process?

Change is often a messy business even if you have the most detailed plans and the best strategy. Time and time again I have seen businesses embark on change and be surprised by the resistance, problems, and conflict which unexpectedly arise. In this week’s article, I lay out some common factors I have seen which usually aren’t directly addressed. Unless they are given some focus, change can at best be slowed, or at worst, be sabotaged completely. 

Change has been quite a topic for me this week, both from a personal point of view and from some of my clients. Change models are helpful and I have found with clients that any approach to change and therefore the preferred model, depends pretty much on the situation and the preference of the person wanting to instigate the change. 

Standard models, like Kotter’s “8-Step Process for Leading Change” are effective and helpful, and for some are enough. I always find it helpful to illustrate Lewins “Force Field Theory of Change” when looking at resistance to change, although even setting out how behaviours and resistance will manifest, doesn’t usually prepare people for the actual experience of these phenomena when the process is underway.

Levels of change are best described in Bandler and Grinder’s “NLP Logical levels” which is for me one of the most helpful models, because it clearly describes the hierarchy of change.

There are many more models out there, so why is it then when change is happening, even when teams are aware of the Kubler-Ross change curve, does it often become so distasteful, stressful frightening and difficult?  Is it simply because the experience of actually going through change is much messier than the models lead us to believe it will be?

Through years of experience of leading change and helping to lead change I have found some common factors which help to make the process of change much easier, less painful and less problematical. These factors I call AWAKE. I am not a big fan of acronyms but without any effort the five factors fit, so without apology I present them in this way, because you never know, thinking of AWAKE might help you to remember these factors the next time you are involved in a change, whether personal or work based.

The five factors are all about the energy which is brought to the change. It doesn’t matter which model is used, if the underlying energy isn’t right then the change will be more difficult; take longer and be riskier. I have broken the factors down as follows.

Attention

We

Attitude

Kindness

Energy

Attention

Any change needs to have attention. This is about the concentrated focus of the mind and the mind-set either in your personal life or your organisation. To achieve real successful change, the change must become the most important thing in the universe during the time it takes to initiate, implement and achieve the outcomes. It is akin to Kotter’s first step about creating urgency, but it is more than that. If you have several programmes, projects or changes going on at once, then the order of attention, priority and importance must be determined. If too much is going on, attention is diluted, the change is slower, and the impetus is lost.

We

It doesn’t matter if your change affects a team, an organisation, your family, or it is an individual change, like giving up smoking or moving house.  As an individual you have different aspects to your personality just as much as there are different personalities in a collective change. For example if you want to give something up, then there are parts of your personality which don’t want to. If you want to change something in the organisation then there will be people who don’t want to. There will also be aspects of you, which do want the change, and people in the team who embrace change readily. The difficulties arise when opposing parts of yourself or people in the team become pitted against each other, even if this is in the short term, and this is when conflict arises.

If you recognise that when change occurs, all parts of the organisation (or all parts of you), need to be understood and listened to: Then conflict is understood and dealt with, and any potential for hidden or unconscious sabotage or resistance is lessened.  Coming from the power of “We” takes a certain level of maturity because it needs the understanding that “we are all in it together”, “the sum parts make a whole”, and “everyone counts”.  The stock phrase for this dynamic is that “we are changing, and we all count”.

Attitude

I would like to bet that instigators of change believe they have the right attitude because they fervently believe that they want the change, they know the change is for the better, it can benefit all. They have a vision and they understand deeply the benefits. Sometimes though, during the change, conscious or unconscious doubt becomes apparent. The doubt is not about whether the change is needed, it is about whether the change can actually be made.  For individuals they may fear their own levels of resilience, or for leaders they may doubt the ability of some of their team to make it. The attitude to change must be one of “Can do”. It sounds simple I know, but that resistance if not uncovered right from the outset can slow down and sabotage change unwittingly.

Kindness

If any of you have gone through difficult or long-winded change which has proved stressful, combatant, or fraught with problems, then along the way you may have experienced the tensions and conflicts brought out the worst in everyone involved. If at the outset, you make one of the conditions of change to be kind to one another (or kind to yourself); the energy of the conflict, resistance or problem simply has to change.  It might sound corny, but if you are talking about a particular problematic aspect or dealing with fears or resistance, to start off the interchange with “How can we remain kind in this situation?” just changes the dynamic.

Energy

The AWAKE model is all about the often unspoken energy which is brought to the process of change. To acknowledge the process of change as energy can be empowering, as it raises awareness. There are two further aspects of energy to consider:

Firstly, Newton’s 3rd Law, “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction: or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions” and

Secondly, Ghandi’s often misquoted declaration; “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him”

What these mean in practice is: If you voice your frustration, or have low expectations about yourself or the people involved in the change then that becomes your experience. If you complain about others, then you are slowing down the change, because the energy you are emitting becomes part of the change process. Even though you might think others don’t notice, on the level of energy they know something isn’t quite right, and they will react accordingly.

So there you have it: Are you AWAKE when making change?

If you’d like to find out more about some of the strategies and techniques I have found over the years I led and managed team, sign up for my weekly blog. If you sign up today, you can download my free eBook; The Magic of Seven

Christina has managed people for twenty seven years and led hugely successful teams. She has worked with people at all levels in various organisations to help them achieve their potential, and she has been actively involved in the learning and development field in a number of different roles.

People Discovery is a Leadership Development coaching consultancy,  based in North East England, working globally.

By Christina Lattimer

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Lead Yourself: Developing Your Wise Counsel

Carl Jung’s famous work on personality types is a vastly underused tool to help people understand themselves better.  Often leaders and managers shy away from personality tools such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) because they fear being “stereotyped” or “labelled”.  Unfortunately this perception often prevents the transformational changes which can be achieved through self-awareness or understanding self.  Today’s article is all about understanding how we get our information which helps us make decisions.

If you’ve ever been confused, stuck or overwhelmed, when your life has presented you with a critical decision, then you are not alone.  Many of my clients come to me because they are grappling with major decisions.One of the reasons we get stuck is because we look from different perspectives and this can result in a range of options with no real insight into what is best for us or others.

Much of my work is based on Carl Jung’s personality types, deriving from which the Myers Briggs Personality Type (MBTI) tool was developed.   Although I use MBTI, it is Carl Jung’s enlightened understanding about how our personality works, which enables me to help my clients to make better choices, as they align with their heart and mind.

Part of the decision making process is gathering information.  In simple terms, you usually gather information in two ways:

The first and most common way is through your senses.  What you see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Predominately you are gathering information through the first three, although sometimes all five senses, depending on the situation.  If you prefer gathering information through your senses, then you tend to like evidence, facts, and data.  You are often described as a “down to earth” person and you like to analyse the information you are receiving to inform your decision making.

The second way you may gather information is through your intuition.  Your intuition can work in two ways, it takes the information it sees through the senses, and forms patterns and possibilities, which can be creative and involves using your imagination.  The second way is to tap into insights, ideas and guidance which can be described as coming from your unconscious part of your mind. When your intuition is tapping into your unconscious it can give you illogical insights and wise guidance. This can sometimes be known as your “gut instincts” or “higher self”, or “collective unconscious”.

We all have the ability to tap into both types of information, but as Jung and the Myers Briggs team have demonstrated we have a preference for one or the other.  Sometimes this can be a very strong preference and sometimes it can be border line.

You also have a preference about how you make decisions. The two decision making functions are “thinking” and “feeling”.  Some of us prefer to make decisions based on our feelings about the information, and others through our logical conclusions about the information.   Often when we are confused, we are alternating between the information we receive through our senses, and that which we are receiving through our intuition.  For example, “I have a strong gut instinct to take that job, but the salary is less and there seems to be no promotion prospects”.

For me the best decisions are made when you feel good about the decision, and the logic about the information which informs your decision aligns with your beliefs.  Part of the formula for doing that is to get in touch with your intuition and trust it.  If you have a strong preference for sensing, then this can be uncomfortable, but do-able.  Over the years, I have found the following 5 ways help people get in touch with their intuition.

There are many definitions of some of the descriptors used, the following describes the context and meaning in the way I use them, rather than referring to any universal definition.

Meditation is giving you a holiday from the clamour of your daily thoughts and stream of information.  It is finding the gap between your thoughts and staying there.  Silent and observant, you can watch your thoughts without attaching yourself to them.  It is allowing your intuition or your unconscious wisdom, space.  Through mediation, your intuition may come to you in different ways, either through thoughts, ideas, or an encounter with someone or something.   Use meditation to be open to whatever comes up.

Contemplation is also about clearing your mind, but for me it is more purposeful.  You may have a problem or a situation where you’re not sure what to do, or don’t know what the solution is.  Ask clearly what the problem is, and then simply observe the problem from different angles and instead of actively thinking about the information, let thoughts come up.  Often, you can be inspired with a solution, although sometimes the emerging solution isn’t immediate.  It can pop up at any time.

Writing is extremely powerful if you are disturbed or upset, even if you aren’t sure why.  Writing down how you are feeling, why you are feeling that way and then ask your intuition how you can look at the situation differently.  Then write down different ideas, until you find a perspective which feels good and you can believe.   Writing is about telling the story of what is going on in your mind and giving you an opportunity to see it from a better perspective.  The true trick is to ask your intuition how to perceive the situation so that you can be at peace with it.   It’s not about repressing feelings though. Feelings are a great emotional guidance system, and it’s important to let them come up and help to inform the writing process.

Listen to Music – You are better aligned with your intuition or higher self when you are feeling good.  You know you are feeling good when you are in touch with appreciation, gratitude, love and laughter.  Listening to music you love can quickly help you get into those places which feel so good.  A daily dose of music you love can definitely align you with your intuition.

Going outside -  Whether it’s fresh winter air or warm summer sunshine, getting away from the clutter of a busy workplace, or a demanding home can clear your mind and give you a space which you might not otherwise give yourself.  Staying in the present moment and clearing your mind while you are outside is a must.  It’s no good getting out into the open and taking all your clamorous thoughts with you.

Are you a sensor or an intuitive? Or do you flex between the two?  What do you think?  If you’d like to undertake the MBTI type tool and find out about your preferences, contact me at Christina@peoplediscovery.co.uk

If you liked the information in this article, why no sign up for my weekly blog and claim your free EBook “The Magic of Seven” 7 x 7 ways to be inspirational at work!

Christina has managed people for twenty seven years and led hugely successful teams. She has worked with people at all levels in various organisations to help them achieve their potential, and she has been actively involved in the learning and development field in a number of different roles.

People Discovery is a Leadership Development coaching consultancy,  based in North East England, working globally.

By Christina Lattimer

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Lead Yourself: The Choice Which Transforms

The subject of Happiness and work has never been as prominent as it is now.  The United Nations has marked the importance of Happiness by declaring an International Day of Happiness which will happen every March 20th.  The first one was this year.   Becoming happy actually is a practical process, one which great leaders not only harness for themselves, but love to share with their employees.  The following describes how I came about this discovery and put it into practice

Yesterday, I had some news which made me want to cry with frustration.  This problem had come up a couple of times before, and I had, with much annoyance, sorted it out, and here it was again.   I won’t bore you with the problem because problems are two a penny, and the real issue is what I did about it.

I had always thought of myself as “A cup half full” person until about 15 years ago.  I had an ability to identify and solve problems, and therefore make (what I thought) was a positive contribution to whichever world or organisation I was impacting upon at the time. 

It was in a session with a coach I had hired to help me make a particular transition in my life who brought that self-concept sharply into question.  We had been talking about situation in my life where I was explaining what was wrong and how I thought I had done all I could to make changes.   When she looked me straight in the eye and said “You have a slightly negative outlook on the world don’t you think?”

The silence must have only lasted about 30 seconds but it felt like about an hour while I contemplated with horror what she had just said.  In one fell swoop she uncovered one of the biggest blind spots in my life. 

In the moments that followed, I didn’t even try to deny it, the only words I could muster were “Do you really think so?”  And she nodded.  I felt like I had been punched.  The horror I think was more acute, because I actually woke up in that moment and realised it was true. 

The actual pattern of my thinking and my self-concept had been mismatched for the majority of my working life up until that point and I’d had no idea until that moment.  It was a defining moment for me because it actually made me look within, and thus the journey to uncover the largely unconscious and negative thoughts and beliefs in my mind began. 

For the next few years I worked at becoming conscious of my beliefs and thought patterns and it was amazing how judgemental I had been, not only of myself but others.  During the journey, I uncovered many patterns I had acquired.

For me ingrained beliefs and patterns of thinking are like well learned habits, which like tying shoelaces or riding a bike, you have learned so well they’ve become unconscious.  When you try to go back to identify the sequence of the beliefs and thoughts it takes some effort to uncover them, and then some real practice to change the way you’ve habitually become used to believing and thinking.

The journey has been painful and liberating and in the end totally empowering.  I would love to say that I no longer participate in negative thinking but it’s a lifetime’s work I think for me.  I now have strategies in place which can almost instantaneously change my thinking for the better, and some of my limiting beliefs at the same time.

The barometer which measures my progress is my feelings.  When I am feeling positive and peaceful emotions, I know my thinking is aligned with who I really am at my core. Gary Zukav  and Linda Francis in their brilliant book “The Heart of the Soul” puts forward the idea that your emotions are a result of your intentions, unconscious or not.

So when I started feeling anxious and fearful as a result of the problem.  I realised that my intention in that moment was flawed.  I was about to let my beliefs ideas and thoughts turn towards a victim mentality.  “Why did this happen to me again?, it must be karma”   Helplessness, “What if I can’t solve it?” When you see this pattern in black and white, it seems quite silly.  But much of our suffering in life is because of the habitual default to our mostly unconscious negative fears, beliefs and thoughts about us. 

You may well have heard the quote “Pain is inevitable, Suffering is optional,” By the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.  If you put this with the quote by the Greek playwright, Aeschylus, “Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.” In those two quotes you have the single choice, which can, if practised habitually, transform your life.

It is making the choice to be happy, no matter what.

So this is what I did about the problem yesterday.

1. When I began to feel anxious and worried, I stopped thinking about the problem and let my feelings come up.  It took a few moments for the feelings to pass through.
2. I contemplated for a few minutes, and then decided to look at the problem through a different lens.  I realised I had solved the problem twice before and I could very well do it again.  The fact I had this problem again, didn’t make me a bad person. In fact, the problem was a real gift because it allowed me to release some of the unconscious worry and further reinforce liberating beliefs, ideas and thoughts which I knew to be true.
3. Despite the problem, I decided to be happy, and I began to think about and feel grateful for the good things and people in my life.  I thought about how blessed I was because I could actually choose to think empowering, and peaceful thoughts, which then translated into positive feelings.

I have this now down to a fine art.  The whole process took about 5 minutes in all.  All those years ago, it could have taken me 3 days to feel positive again after encountering such a problem.  Progress indeed.

If you’d like to read more about some of my methods I have learned over the years, sign up for my weekly blog and download your free e-book:  The 6 Secrets of Great Emotional Intelligence”

Christina has managed people for twenty seven years and led hugely successful teams. She has worked with people at all levels in various organisations to help them achieve their potential, and she has been actively involved in the learning and development field in a number of different roles.

People Discovery is a Leadership Development coaching consultancy,  based in North East England, working globally.

By Christina Lattimer

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What Enlightened Leaders Practice For Success

Leaders are faced with a myriad of challenges, both from juggling many projects and dealing with the many different personality traits of their people.  In order to be open and alert to devising winning solutions to problems and blockages, there is one enduring practice which sorts out the great from the good.  This week’s article looks at this practice and how leaders apply it in the workplace. 

There is no one formula to being a successful leader.  Many would argue that great leadership is situational, and what are seen as great leadership traits for one situation, may not be so great for another.  This is very true for example, where you may have an immature team which isn’t quite yet developed, a leader may in the initial stages need to be much more directional than they perhaps would otherwise be.  The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory is quite clear on the stages involved in leading teams with different maturity levels.

Often leadership is classed as being significant, when the leadership style is values based.  The leader demonstrates to employees and customers, just who they are dealing with.  While I think many would agree that openness, honesty, humility, inclusivity for example may be universal values; they are not always actually at the top of everyone’s list.    So a commercially savvy entrepreneur who cuts corners and makes hard decisions easily, to get where they need to be, can be applauded by some and condemned by others.

The crucial practice all leaders can,  and should be good at though,  is self-awareness.  It is one thing making a decision to axe the jobs of 100 people, and having an attitude of “well that’s just business”.  It is miles away from the leader who agonises over the need to make such a decision, conscious and aware of the impact it is going to have on the livelihood of all of those people.

That’s not to say that a self-aware leader doesn’t make those decisions, but they do so with care, kindness and understanding, as well as firmly.  They will have no doubt that such a decision is a last but necessary  resort.  They also support, listen and respect the fears, anxieties and issues of the people who are affected.

We all have our blind spots, I would challenge anyone who believes they haven’t.  Although making the decision to lead a life of awareness can be a challenging one, it is also can be extremely revealing and rewarding.

In my experience, leaders who are willing to continually learn and develop their own self-awareness may not be perfect, or paragons of virtue.  What they do though is different from leaders who don’t practice self awareness, in that they learn from their mistakes, and then do something differently next time.  They take time out to evaluate how they are doing, and how they impact others.  Most importantly they are able to observe themselves objectively in order to self-appraise.

In the process of leading a team or an organisation, they willingly:

• Take feedback from their people and find out what is going wrong as well as what is going right.
• Are prepared to learn from others and they admire qualities about other people who can teach them something.
• Question their own mind sets, and are always open to learn how to be more authentically positive and to achieve great outcomes for themselves and others.
• Understand their own power to affect the intentions, mind-sets and beliefs of others and they use that power wisely and with integrity.
• Understand that leading a team is not a single-minded activity, but one where they must be open to understanding others, so as to get them on-board and engaged in what they are trying to achieve.
• Work out exactly who they want to be working with them and for them.  They have a good insight into themselves and how they tick and therefore have the same understanding of others
• Commit to continuous development of their business and people.  They understand that life is a learning experience, and it’s not just about skills and knowledge, but also about self- understanding.  Not just for themselves, but for others too.

In my latest free EBook “The Magic of Seven” you can discover the 7 x 7 Ways, Great Leaders Create Great teams.  For more information about this and Leadership Development, visit our website www.peoplediscovery.co.uk

Christina has managed people for twenty seven years and led hugely successful teams. She has worked with people at all levels in various organisations to help them achieve their potential, and she has been actively involved in the learning and development field in a number of different roles.