I hope you’ve had a great summer. Mine has been fantastic! I can’t say my pace slowed much because I’ve had an abundance of opportunities to collaborate with some great people over the past six months - one particular client invited me to provide extensive support (four days/week) at their location. It’s been a marvelously intense, worthwhile experience.
Staying focused and energized has been critical. I took full advantage of the great weather we had: trips to our cottage and mini adventures, like the Sunday we spent at the Cultus Lake Water Park. And as many of you know, spending quality time with Bella out on the trails – that’s us in the photo – is a great source of rejuvenation and inspiration for me. Among her many talents, I’m always impressed by how easy and natural it is for her to be present (with the possible exception of when there’s a squirrel in the immediate vicinity).
For many business leaders, managing change is looked upon as a nemesis - a challenge for many reasons, but mainly because change of any kind is a distraction. The sheer volume, diversity, and speed at which it comes at you can be mind-boggling and overwhelming to say the least. And it’s a pretty complex subject when you begin to explore best practices. There are lots of fantastic resources out there, presented by highly acclaimed experts who have developed valid processes, methods and frameworks for managing change.
When you cut to the chase, what’s imperative is that leaders recognize they don’t have to go it alone. Engaging their people in the process of change is key to achieving the kinds of transformational results so often expected. Whether you’re a one-person band or the leader of many, simply put, it’s about taking control of the situations, opportunities, risks, plans, activities, actions and behaviours that impact your business, your people and your career, through a well thought out, collaborative, and communicative approach.
Below are some practical tools and tips to help you improve your leadership, while you dance the dance of change with intention, focus and confidence.
Managing Change
The Rhetoric and Reality of Successful Change Management – Ivey Business Journal
Engaging People
Where Employee Engagement Happens – Gallup Management Journal
Lisa addresses queries as a regular contributor to Coach’s Corner in The Province Newspaper’s Working section. Mark your calendar to catch her next Q and A on Sunday, October 4.
"Change happens one conversation at a time."
--Margaret Wheatley
Change or Die by Alan Deutschman
The Coaching Connection: A Manager's Guide to Developing Individual Potential in the Context of the Organization by Paul J. Gorrell and John Hoover
Because it adds a value and depth to leadership by enhancing your strategic abilities; without the ability to influence change, engage people and inspire performance, your strategic plans will go nowhere. Here are five good reasons to practice being present with change:
Being present with change is a process which begins with having a clear vision of the change. This is critical to being in the driver's seat, no matter what stage you're at. Your goal should always be to clearly see all change (planned or otherwise) impacting your business, your people, or your career. Put your evaluation skills to the test. Look for ways to collaborate as you assess and understand the what, why, who and how factors. Start by asking some key questions (a fundamental communication skill) of yourself and those you work with:
Take the time to document your findings and make some notes about what you've discovered. If you were reporting to someone, what would you tell them about what you see or notice?
I had the amazing experience of working with Jim Brosseau, Founder and President of Clarrus. Clarrus is an internationally acclaimed organization that focuses on improving the effectiveness of project teams and the projects they work on. He’s the author of Software Teamwork: Taking Ownership for Success. I was particularly interested in Jim’s teaching on change in the scope of project management (see Chapter 19 titled “Change”). Learn more about Jim and Clarrus at http://www.clarrus.com/.
“While past experiences with coaches have left me asking “where’s the beef?” working with Being A Better Leader has shown me how valuable coaching can be. Lisa brings a methodology to the coaching game, and in doing so has brought me to a place where my work is in greater congruence with my values. Lisa’s external viewpoint was well leveraged in helping me remove the emotion behind decisions: she made it easier to call a spade a spade. Assumptions that made no sense were questioned and broken, and her coaching helped me to be more strategic; to step back and look at both my business and my life from an expanded, holistic perspective, enabling me to make aligned choices and to be in more control of my future. In the past 6 months, I have learned a lot about myself, I am better equipped to prioritize and balance between my business and home life, and have a better appreciation for the need to maintain a sustainable workload.”
Jim Brosseau, Clarrus
My intent with INFocus is always to add something valuable to your leadership experience. If you're interested in learning more, see an opportunity for me to help, or have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to call me at 604-985-5715 or drop me a note.
Warmly,
Contact: 604-985-5715 coaching@beingabetterleader.com