Change Bytes

Is Today the Day?

2011-12-01T10:03:00.000-05:00

Time is interesting; we watch it, occasionally we waste it, grab it while it flies past us, and sometimes we even kill it.

The ancient Greeks had two words for time. The first, chronos, refers to chronological or sequential time. It's the term we're the most familiar with. This is how we measure time -by minutes, days, years and seasons - increments of our lives that pass in a linear fashion. We think of chronos times in terms of a ticking clock or days stroked off our calendars and most of us agree that there never seems to be enough of this variety of time.

Most change initiatives have time frames. When organizing a project we speak of start dates, time lines, schedules and the ever dreaded due date. We're well aware that time is finite, precious and that, if we don't stay on time, the project is doomed.

But there is another kind of time - kairos time. Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). It is a moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens. While chronos is quantitative, kairos is more qualitative in nature. Chronos is, as long as this earth continues to spin, predictable; and whether we welcome it's passing or not, it will pass.

Kairos is described as, 'a passing instant when an opening appears which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved'. It is a special increment of time, when extraordinary things are possible. Chronos happens every day, Kairos is rare, a time that perfect storms are made of. A Kairos moment is that space in chronos time when we are more aware, open, seeking, willing a change to happen. A Kairos moment is when loose ends get knotted together, when there is a unique opportunity to grow and shift in your thinking and consequently your behaviour. These moments are life changing, littered with Ah-has, and are not to be missed.

The best time to change is when things are changing. If you're in the middle of a personal or professional transition - look around, listen for a pause in the ticking of your life and grab hold of that moment - breathe in a new idea. It's tempting to rush the days of our lives, stroking off events and encounters in an effort to get on with it. But if we take that approach in life or at work, we will miss the richness of those moments when possibility hangs in the air, when we are poised to grow, a mere breath away from a new beginning.

What have been the Kairos moments in your past? How about your future? Will you recognize them? Do you look for them? Strong leaders watch for them, for themselves and their teams; they know that once the moment is past, it won't come again.

Remember, you can change it, we can help!

I Am A Rock

2011-10-17T10:31:00.001-04:00

I love sixty's music! Yup, turn up the Rock & roll for me! I was listening to Classic Rock on TV today and heard Simon and Garfunkel singing, 'I am a rock, I am an island'

That song takes me back to darker times in my youth, when I'd been hurt by someone or a situation, and I'd sit in my room and moan along with the music and think...

I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock, I am an island!

Oh yeah - I was given to drama in those days. I'm wiser now. I understand what John Donne meant in 1624 when he said that, "No man is an island, entire of itself." Now I know that we are all connected, and that the more we intentionally band together the better the outcome.

The most important things I've accomplished, in business and life, have been in collaboration with others. In the early parts of my business career I joined a master-mind group, and for four plus years we met monthly, a full day each time, to vet each other's ideas, give input on emerging programs and proposals and challenge egotistical thinking and faulty notions. Early on we committed to uncensored honesty and I routinely left those meetings a bit shocked at the feedback, but stretched and sharpened by my colleague's observations.

Early in my coaching career, I joined a small group of coaches whose purpose was to share in large coaching contracts while supporting each other's professional growth. We strategized client relationships, brought in professionals to train us, shared leads and helped build each other's credibility and reach. This experience taught me how to bow to the wisdom of a colleague who was more experienced, and sometimes, simply more passionate than I, on a particular subject or issue.

Throughout the creative process of building programs and products, I've joined forces with designers, editors, artists and media types and I've thought of each of them as a partner, not a supplier. A fine distinction maybe, but an important one. Each partnership has brought me: (1) fresh ideas, (2) specific talent I lacked and, (3) the energy, and sometimes resources, I needed to keep me going when it was tough.

Joint ventures have their challenges; collaboration is not for the faint of heart. If you decide to throw your lot in with others you can expect a good deal of surprising information, opposing opinions, differing objectives, and those ever popular power struggles and personality conflicts. Collaborate anyway. It's the only real path away from naval-gazing and onto excellence. So, what would it take for you to join forces with two or more people in the pursuit of your goals? What stops you from reaching across the table at a networking event or meeting to say, 'Hey, let's work together.'

Remember - you can change it, we can help!

What Matters Now?

2011-09-07T11:50:00.012-04:00

I'm sitting on the porch of my mother's home in Folsom California as I write this. My mother was eighty-six on her last birthday, and is slowly being swept into the sometimes present, sometimes gone experience that is dementia. For the past couple of years, my siblings and I have danced between her wishes to stay in her home and our need to know she's safe, and have this past month placed her in an assisted living facility. For those of you who have travelled this path, you know the dilemma and how, in the end, like it or not, a decision must be made. I'm here now to work with my brother and sister to ready her home for sale, a task we have each dreaded in our own way.

As we sort through her personal belongings, trying to decide the 'value' of items she has long forgotten, it brings to my mind Michael Josephson's writing called 'What will matter?' I send this out to you with the hope that you will stop, ponder, consider your life and ask yourself the question, 'what will endure - and how will your days be measured?'

I'm the product of conservative, working class parents who, when my father returned from WWII, began their family with all the enthusiasm of a generation that had just conquered the single most evil force the world had ever seen. My parent's frugal approach to all things material has left it's mark on me and, as I struggle to decide what to toss, sell or donate; my first inclination is to keep it all.

Few of her belongings have value in a conventional sense, but they hold memories of earlier times when a younger woman, still visible in her face today, sacrificed to buy the items I now hold. What does 'valuable' really mean when considering eighty-six years of living? What will we choose to keep; which of her material possessions have worth beyond her life? We are fast realizing that the answer is...not many.

But, we are also realizing that there are many valuable 'things' she is leaving to us. Josephson says, that, 'what will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.' She has taught us many valuable lessons. She taught us what's right - and what's not. She has always been the kind of mother that makes you apologize when you hurt someone, clean up after yourself and keep your commitments. And, she taught me to believe in myself. No matter what messes I've gotten myself into in my life, she's always been sure that I will be 'just fine' in the end and her certainty in my ability to transcend my own stupidity has been priceless to me.

Perhaps a greater lesson still is her humility. She considers everyone better than herself, a belief that has been both her greatest struggle and her most enduring quality. She will defer to you out of respect and shine the spotlight on you instead of herself. She is a 'lady' in the traditional sense of the word; she wouldn't consider imposing, is always dressed for the occasion seldom has a bad word to say of anyone.

We continue to treasure her for many things, none of which are in boxes or sitting ready for an estate sale. In the end, it's her...just her 103 pound, spunky self that we will hold onto. She's slipping away a little more each day, but her legacy is as bright as ever.

What will your legacy be? When you leave the company, what will your employees and co-workers say about you? What will you have shared with them that is of lasting value? And, some day, when your children back up the truck and haul away your belongings, what part of you will remain in their hearts?

If professional or personal legacy is something you want to explore, call me.

Remember - you can change it, we can help!

September 2011

2011-08-30T09:59:00.005-04:00

What will matter?

By Michael Josephson

Ready of not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no days, no hours or minutes.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else
Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will all expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Your gender, skin color, and ethnicity will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, and sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel the lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories of those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, but whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Are you smarter than a 2 year old?

2011-08-30T09:44:00.000-04:00

I'm the lucky Grandmother of three delightful granddaughters. Yeah...I started young, and it's paying off now!

Not being the traditional Grandmother of yester-year, who rocked on the porch with hoards of grandchildren at her feet, I only occasionally get the delicious treat of spending whole days at a time with my grandchildren - and I love it! This past month I spent six magical days with Brielle, our 18-month-old little princess, who is the older daughter of my middle son. We had a blast!

She is, of course, one of the most beautiful, talented, intelligent and all-round wonderful little girls on the planet...that goes without saying. But, she's something else too; she's the embodiment of learning and growth. Each time I see her, even if there has been just weeks between her visits, she's learned a bundle of new skills. She blew right past crawling and went straight to walking. She's learned how to manipulate a spoon, dress her doll and can 'read' several books at a sitting.

It's amazing really, how she watches, mimics, and then masters an ability to do something she sees everyone around her doing. She's hungry to learn, eagerly tries anything you encourage her towards, and amazingly develops new abilities, literally every day.

Oh, and she's always scanning faces. She looks intently at the people in her world; she studies their emotional reactions, she takes cues from those around her as to what comes next, and is always reaching out to connect with people in her world. She's a consummate networker too; it doesn't matter to Brielle whether you are even dressed or not, let alone dressed 'properly', regardless of your age or stage in life, she assumes you have something to teach her and she's ready for the adventure.

It's not surprising that she wants to push ahead. Every time she conquers her fear of something new and accomplishes the task, the whole family rewards her with a round of applause. After months of this immediate reward, she's even learned to clap for herself - just adorable.

Oh, to be like Brielle again! When did we stop scanning our worlds to see what else we could learn? What happened to us to make us so sure it's ok to operate on autopilot, at work, home and in our relationships?

When did we get so grown up?

One of my favorite quotes is, 'You don't empower people, you create environments that help them realize that they have power'.

All parents (and grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) have to do for the little ones in our lives is to create a safe, stimulating and loving environment and they will learn, grow and flourish. And, I wonder...could it be the same for your employees? Could it be that - especially when they're going through a tough transition, or you want them to adopt some new skill or behaviour - that all you really need to do is provide environments where growth and learning are encouraged, and create workplaces where accomplishments are applauded and rewarded? Could it be that simple?

When you need managers who know how to create empowering environments for their employees....call us.

Remember - You can change it - we can help!

August 2011

A Story For You

2011-08-24T21:41:00.011-04:00

I've just been perusing the papers, and the economic news is dismal - heck, most of the news is down right depressing right now. So, I'm going to tell you a story on this bright and breezy summer day, in case you need a smile.

Picture Charlie Brown, the comic character. Can't you just see him, seated in his cartoon airplane with his scarf flapping in the wind? Do you know the story of the real Charlie Brown? Well, he was a World War II pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton, England, and his B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub'. After a particularly bloody battle, when he should have been headed back to home base, he was lost. His compass was damaged and he and his crew were flying directly over an enemy airfield.

A German pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to shoot the B-17 down. When he got near Charlie's plane, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear sections were severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was smeared all over the top of the fuselage, the nose was smashed and there were bullet holes everywhere. Brown was struggling to control his damaged and bloodstained plane.

Despite having been given orders to destroy Brown, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked right at the terrified pilot.

Franz could see that Brown had no idea where he was going and Franz waved at Charlie to turn his plane 180 degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane towards the North Sea and England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe.

When Franz landed he told his C/O that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew reported everything at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.

Long after the war, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who had saved him and his crew. After nearly 40 years of searching, he finally found him. Franz had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.

They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.

Now doesn't that renew your faith in mankind? What could you do today that might go down in someone's history as the luckiest day of their lives?

Enjoy the summer!

Remember, you can change it...we can help!

How's the Weather?

2011-08-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

This weather we're having is crazy, isn't it? It seems like the whole world is being caught in tornados, hurricanes and floods of Biblical proportion. Here in Ontario, we've gone from freezing our petudies to flipping burgers on the Bar-B-Q overnight. Like they say, if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes.

The change in weather has brought with it changes in people's attitudes too. People that just a week ago were snarly and half-depressed are now gardening and riding bikes. So, why the sudden transformation? Aren't we all still the same people? Why has the change in our environment spawned such a dramatic uptick in enthusiasm?

There's lots of research to suggest that environments have a huge impact on human behaviour. The green movement is a classic example of these principles; we impact our environments by how we behave, but our environments can impact what we believe, how we feel and ultimately what we do. Researchers found that simply moving chocolate from 'within arms reach' to six feet away decreased consumption by 50% and moving the tasty treat off the premises nearly extinguished the consumption all together. Serving your dinner on a 10-inch plate versus a 12-inch plate - will power aside - will decrease the amount you consume by a whopping 30%!

We know that factors like negativity and family chaos profoundly impact a child's development and today's parents take great care to ensure their little bundles get just the right amount of stimuli and positive reward.

So, how about employees? Could environmental factors affect how a change effort is implemented? Could something as simple as where someone sits, whom they report to, or the proximity of the water cooler effect whether they accept an IT implementation or not?

I think it does, and in a big way. Just last week I was told by a mid manager that, she wasn't going to 'play nice' with the new leadership in her company because she'd been asking for a parking spot closer to the front entrance for two years, and because they 'don't care about my safety', she feels no need to get on board with the new leaders.

I think there are three contextual factors that have a profound impact on how people accept and integrate change in their lives. The first is our physical environment; the people, temperature, mood, ergonomics, culture and colors that surround us, all influence how we feel about our world and our readiness to disrupt it. Something as simple as poor lighting, or a faulty desk chair, can contribute to people tuning out any new ideas coming their way.

Another important influence on our readiness for change is our current circumstance. Our circumstance is made up our age and life stage, status, perceived opportunities, positional longevity, recent events, past change successes and failures and what we stand to loose when things change. The first 90 days of an executive's tenure are the most critical because his circumstances are unique in the honeymoon phase; he and his direct reports will view his demeanor and choices differently, and may allow and forgive in those first 90 days, in ways they won't later on.

The last and most significant of the factors is our personal selves; it's our mental, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual health. Our personal well being impacts how much change we will tolerate; change looks a lot more doable when we're on top of our game, then if we're in the middle of an illness or are just going off on maternity leave.

Savvy leaders need to be aware of, and capitalize on the factors governing people's readiness for disruption. To ignore these critical contextual factors when attempting to move a population through a transition is just foolish, so don't take chances. We have assessments that will help you determine the Change Readiness of your team or department.

Remember, you can change it...we can help!

What Are You Afraid Of?

2011-08-24T21:19:00.002-04:00

On March 11^th an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude rocked the Tokyo area, followed by a tsunami of Biblical proportions, and just this past week 'super tornados' (966 in the Month of April to be exact) rained down destruction on southern US neighborhoods resulting in catastrophic damage. In Canada gas prices have soared to over $1.35, and just a few days ago, US Special Forces found and killed Osama Bin Laden!

What in the world is going on? Change is going on, and it's reverberating around the globe at lightening speed. The recent tumble of middle east dictators, a phenomenon that most political pundits would never have predicted, is another graphic example of how life as we know it can change on a dime, leaving the populace to wonder... what's next? The classic reaction to unexpected events is fear, and, like those caught in natural and economic disasters, the fear of change also has a business face.

During a change initiative, fear can be seen on faces at all levels of the organization.

For leaders fear can mask as:

Risk aversion
Intense focus on short term results
Self-imposed isolation
Sleepless nights

For middle managers fear camouflages as:

Doing only what is expressly required by leadership
Driving crisis upward to leadership
Privately - overly critical of peers and leaders
Reluctance to "speak truth to power"

At the lower levels of the organization fear produces:

Diminished engagement and productivity
An overly active rumor mill designed to create meaning and context
Increased absenteeism and turnover; voluntary and involuntary
Defensiveness and resistance around performance evaluation

When have you seen these faces in your organization? Maybe you see one of them in the mirror every morning. It's a challenge to stay centered at work when all around you seems to be in flux. It takes courage, and a healthy dose of hutzpah, to move forward when the way forward seems to be shifting beneath your feet. Calm in the face of a storm requires calm in one's heart of hearts. How would outcomes for you and your team or company be different if fear wasn't playing such a large role? How can you find your center and be a change catalyst in the middle of it all?

Remember, you can change it...we can help!

Impression Management and Role Transition - Guest Post by Diane Craig

2011-05-13T13:17:00.002-04:00

Charismatic leaders operate in a state of continuous evolution and change. New roles, new positions, new corporations: change can take many forms. These leaders are men and women with executive presence — and they really get around. By definition, charismatic leaders are movers and shakers. They have the ability to influence or inspire others positively, by connecting with them physically, emotionally and intellectually.

And what enables these charismatic leaders to transition effectively is a keen awareness of impression management or “personal branding” that strengthens their executive presence. Far more than a solid base of knowledge and skills, executive presence includes behaviour — impression management, self-awareness, social awareness and relationship management. Then there are the competencies, credibility and trust. Of course, there’s the look of success, the dress and demeanor. Executive presence is, in a word, complex.

Impression management, of all the hallmarks of executive presence, is one of the most challenging to master. It’s the technique used to both build and impact the image others have of a person — his or her personal brand. One of my roles as an Image Consultant is executive presence coaching and my clients —from aspiring leaders to CEO’s — often consider impression management top-of-list. Coaching is recognized as the number one developmental tool for creating this personal brand. It’s not intervention or criticism I provide but feedback, through the brief but strategic alliance of trust formed with my clients.

Impression management training instills both an acute sense of self and sharp-wittedness. Body language is key for both signals given and received. Facile, nimble responses to social cues are a measure of skillful technique. People who closely monitor themselves, regardless of the situation, are called high self-monitors. They can switch on and off according to social demands and expectations but most importantly, they have learned to modify their behaviour and speech to suit the circumstances. So-called low self-monitors, by comparison, may be less observant, oblivious to their surroundings or even disdainful of withholding their true feelings.

High self-monitors do well in periods of transition or change. Because of their impression management skills, they are masters of relationship building and move easily through new territories to forge alliances. I want to emphasize that impression management, like the other qualities of executive presence, is a learned skill — there is no special gene or DNA. Leaders today are made, not born.

Detractors of impression management sometimes call it manipulative and artificial. I disagree and would suggest they really misunderstand the purpose. We’ve all seen those meltdown moments when a seemingly unshakeable politician or leader just plain loses it. Impression management training strives to prepare the individual for consistency and to minimize these moments of potential “collateral damage.”

As I watch successful leaders navigate uncharted waters, I see the benefits of impression management. By creating a personal brand, these skilled men and women are building their reputations. Promotion and its accompanying changes are a natural byproduct of this magnetic force we call executive presence. Ultimately, personal branding is a lifetime occupation.

Diane Craig: As President and founder of Corporate Class Inc., Diane has been on a 30-year journey as an image management expert. She has designed, created and implemented a comprehensive series of programs to polish the professional image of today’s business leaders. Diane has garnered international acclaim working with the who’s who in the business world. She has consulted with political leaders and celebrities, prepped guests of Royal families and prepared attendees of the G20 summit. Diane studied at the Richard Robinson Academy of Fashion Design. She refined her skills at the Protocol School of Washington and completed certificates in Intercultural Studies at UBC and the Pacific University. http://www.corporateclassinc.com

There's Wisdom in Crowds

2011-04-25T14:40:00.003-04:00

Canadians will head to the polls, in a few weeks, to elect a new leader, or reaffirm the one we have, and south of the border CNN is already scampering after any whiff of 2012 election gossip. Both countries seem to be laboring under the same misconception - change the guy (and it's still a guy in both countries...shame on us) at the top, and the future will be secure.

It's a popular notion that all a dissatisfied country, company or church needs to do to set things right is to swap out their current Prime Minister, President or Pastor. Popular thinking maybe - but naïve, none the less. And it is, on both sides of the border time - as Maya Angelou would say 'for thinking people to think'.

In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki sites several well respected studies challenging the validity of this idea that there are individuals, however well educated, well paid or adored, who embody superior decision making abilities that can, single handedly, lead a group out of the woods every time. Instead research points to the crowd, the team or group the leader leads as having a better track record in terms of assessing a situation and collectively making good decisions.

The average tenure of a CEO today is eighteen months. Companies routinely hire men or women they deem to be superstars, pay them wads of cash and loads of stock options and then give them precious little time to wow the stockholders.

Ridiculous, says Jack Welch, twenty-five year veteran CEO of General Electric. Jack admits to making his share of business blunders but says he was grateful to have had twenty-five years to redeem himself and work out the kinks in his leadership. Today the ink is barley dry on the incoming CEO's hiring bonus before he's planning his lucrative exit; often leaving disappointed employees and shareholders in his wake.

More than once I've been working with a company and witnessed the CEO, VP or Department head buckle under the pressure of an intense business environment. I've seen them struggle behind closed doors to make the tough calls in solitude. I've wondered how much of their desire to shoulder the full burden of key decision making alone was bolstered by the board's, or their own, misconception that real leaders should be able to pull off miracles every time... and all on their own.

Good decision-making, and effective execution requires the wisdom of the group. It requires in-put from all levels, and a healthy dose of modesty on the part of the man or woman at the top. It's lonely at the top and working alone is ill advised for any leader. When change is in the air - it's the kiss of death.

As an Executive Coach I can be the confidential thinking partner you may need when the stakes are high. Remember, you can change it - I can help!

Let's Talk About Power

2011-03-23T12:23:00.001-04:00

In the past few weeks, unless you've been living in a cave, you've been witness to the single largest turnover of power the modern world has ever seen. Not since the defeat of Hitler have we witnessed dictators humbled in such dramatic ways. Just ask Zine El Abidine, former President of Tunisia, or Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Ali Abdullah Saieh of Yemen or Muammar Gaddafi of Libya about power. I suspect their answers today might be a far cry from how they would have characterized their power even a few months ago.

Power is an interesting thing. In politics, the workplace and even at home, leaders can hold one of two different kinds of power with their subjects, direct reports or anyone in a lesser position to them. Those in authority can try to exert power over others or they can share power with people. Most of the dictators in North Africa and the Middle East are great examples of men who have maintained power over their people. They rule by fear and their ability to stay in an authoritive position hinges on their military might. Remove their iron grip and the population scatters, looking for another leader.

Companies and teams want powerful leaders, especially during times of intense change. People want a leader with vision, and a demonstrated commitment to that vision, a leader who holds his power because of the respect his people have for not only the position, but also the man. They want a leader with personal power; control over herself and her actions. Most people are looking for a man or women that they can look up to as a role model, someone they can watch demonstrate the values of the organization and not just talk about them.

Most North Americans would chafe against a Middle Eastern style dictator as their country's leader, but there are hundreds of mini-dictators in companies, communities and families all across North America; men and women who behave like tyrants on the job every day. Some of the characteristics of these would-be dictators are:

•A man or women in senior leadership who doesn't know the difference between power and authority. Power is the ability to cause or prevent an action, the ability to make things happen, the discretion to act or not act. Authority is the right to command a situation, commit resources, make decisions, and give directives with an expectation that they be acted upon. It is always accompanied by an equal responsibility for one's actions or failure to act.

•A Manager or Supervisor who doesn't know the difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline is the practice of training first yourself and then others in a particular way of behaving. Punishment is the price or penalty for breaking a rule or agreement made with another party.

•A mother who by-passes her partner when it comes to making important decisions for the children

•A father who lacks insight into his own behaviour and reacts rather than responds to intense situations

What about you? How would your direct reports, or your children, characterize your leadership? Do they see you as a leader who shares power with them, a leader who is adept at discipline and judicious when considering punishment? Do people feel powerful working with you, regardless of your title or position? We are seeing only too clearly what happens to leaders that rule by fear. If you're in a position of authority in your company, church or home...take a moment. Ask yourself, how well am I leading in my role?

How Much is Enough?

2011-01-24T12:16:00.002-05:00

Lately I seem to be meeting and spending a fair bit of my time with what Bob Buford (From Success to Significance) would call corporate ‘Half-Timers’; those fortunate executives that have spun a good deal of success in their careers and are asking themselves an important question - How much is enough? How much success, status and money do I need to feel content, to be happy in my life?
Western business operates in a more is better culture and the path to career and monitory abundance is well lit by success gurus, executive coaches and self-help mantras. As a result, in 2010 Canada sported over 163,000 millionaire families with a YOY growth rate of 4.8%. The US boasted nearly 5 million millionaire families with a whopping 15% YOY growth rate. Not impressed yet? A million dollars isn’t what it used to be, eh? Well, last year a record 164 billionaires returned to Forbes' global wealth ranking, with 22 of those being Canadian. Not too shabby!

Westerners are in love with the idea of passion. We want to follow our passion, work at what we’re passionate about. We want to feel that fire; that excitement that comes from full engagement in what we love to do. So when what you love to do has rewarded you handsomely, provided all the creature comforts for you and your family - and maybe you don’t ‘love it’ quite like you used to…then what?

When money is no longer an issue and you’ve topped any career goal you had for yourself, interesting things happen. You begin to wonder… what’s next. Where do I go from here? What do I do now that I’m 40 something, 50ish or 60 plus and I don’t really have to work this hard any more, or maybe not at all?

This life-stage transition may just be the most challenging one of all. Some executives feel shackled by the infamous ‘golden handcuffs’ that tie them to their companies pension and benefit plans. It’s hard to leave when it’s so lucrative to stay. Reminds me of the little refrain:

“If you’re dancing with a gorilla, you can’t stop till the gorilla decides to stop.”

Several of my clients are looking at philanthropy with new eyes; they are becoming more focused on their legacy and less on conventional notions of success. They tell me that they want their lives to matter; they want to give back. Many are taking the bold step towards early retirement from their given professions to turn their attention towards work that pays less but rewards more deeply. Even some mid-career executives are realizing that their need to spend time with their families and maintain their health or experience the arts is stronger than the one to make a Forbes type list. Success exacts a price, and many aren’t willing to pay it any more.

What about you? How much is enough for you? If your life worked out perfectly what would the ‘priceless’ elements of that life be? Name your gorilla.

I coach executives in transition; I’m familiar with the territory and I’m here to help.

Here's The Truth

2011-01-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

It happens to me all the time. I'm at an event or a company meeting talking about change when someone pulls me aside and says, "Ok, I know what you're saying, but between you and me...do people ever really change?"

Yes Virginia, change is possible. But, only if you can't live without it. Changing yourself, and that's the only real change in the end, is hard work. Most people never do it. The masses arrive on the planet, look around, decide how to get by and spend the rest of their lives doing just that...getting by. I think it's why we're so enamored with celebrity and achievement. We see what someone else has accomplished and think...I could never do that.

So, here's the truth. Change is possible and transforming yourself, your company or your team is possible. But... and there's always a but.... you can't move forward in life while holding onto everything from the past. Something's gotta go. And sometimes, someone's gotta go.

Here are a few things you can start letting go of before the too much more time goes by:

1. Let go of old beliefs that hold you back:
About who you are or who you were supposed to be
About the way life was supposed to be
About needing to know how before you begin

2. Let go of people who hold you back:
People that are negative and critical of your efforts to change
People that want you to stay the same for their sake, not yours
People who have a world view that is antagonistic to yours (keep those people who see the world differently and challenge your thinking...they're helpful)

3. Let go of your fear of the unknown. The first step you take will make some of the unknown, known.

4. Let go of believing you have to do it all by yourself. We are all in this together, especially when we are changing.

Ready? Now, take your first step! In my experience, first steps are always accompanied by fear. At the beginning, the fear is huge. But every time you take a step, the fear lessens. With every milestone you reach, the fear diminishes and you get stronger.

You've made thousands of decisions that have brought you to where you are right now in your life. Are you satisfied? Or do you want more: something else, something different, or the next level? What do you really want? Forget about being practical and rational for a moment and let yourself say it. Let yourself dream it.

If you want your team, your company or your life to be different by say, 2015, you need to start making bold new decisions today. I coach people to take bold steps. I believe you can change! Call me.

What's Your Role?

2010-10-19T12:53:00.001-04:00

If you've been in one of my Leading Change workshops you know that I believe that business change environments dictate the style of leadership you should adopt. Business As Usual is best served by 'Champion' leaders, while Intense Change responds well to a 'Coach approach'. When groups are in Crisis people need a more directive 'Captain' in charge and Business Chaos responds well to the gentle influence of a 'Catalyst' leader.

Traditional leadership models often fall short during intense organizational change. The notion of all the really big decisions being made by the guy or gal at the top, seldom works during business as usual, and research suggests that a clearly articulated 'leader role', shared by people at all levels, seems to work best when the work is intense.

Some interesting ideas about crisis leadership have come from researchers at the US Army Research Institute who wanted to find out which leadership strategies fared best for teams working in "highly dynamic and stressful situations". For ten months they observed the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore Maryland, a world-renowned urban facility that treats more than 7,000 patients each year with severe, often life-threatening injuries.

The center's trauma teams are made up of three key leadership roles: the top-ranked position, held by the 'Attending' surgeon; the second-ranked 'Fellow' position, followed by the third-ranked 'Admitting' resident, with the players changing from day to day, week to week and month to month. A trauma team's lifetime is short - about 15 to 60 minutes - with individual leaders coming and going while the leadership positions remain rigid, but flexible.

Researchers observed that the team's active leadership role shifted frequently and fluidly among the three individuals. The researchers described what they saw as a, "paradoxical leadership system characterized both by rigid hierarchy and dynamic fluidity." They watched junior members of the triad defer in times of their own uncertainty, and more senior leaders step up, only to step back again when the junior leader could handle the situation. This dance of leadership allowed for minimal errors, shared accountability and critical on-the-spot learning and mentoring.

Could this model work in your company? Could it be that, as companies increasingly rely on interdisciplinary teams, work becomes more dynamic and issues gain complexity, that this decidedly hierarchical yet fluid and flexible model works best? Perhaps this 'tag-team', 'relay-race' approach to leadership is a best practice in the making.

What do you think? I'd love to hear about your leadership roles and how they actually get played out in a crisis.

Back to Work!

2010-09-14T17:27:00.001-04:00

As I walked through the woods today, and noticed the trees taking on some color, I felt a bit like the woman in the commercial who see's the first fallen leaf of the season and runs screaming from the sidewalk; you know the one, she just can't cope with the notion that summer is actually coming to an end. Huh...neither can I.

This has been a banner summer for Ontario with temperatures that take you back in time to the beach, or the cottage or wherever you spent your lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. We've had the kind of weather you drift back to as you're standing in a three-foot high snow bank on a downtown Toronto street in January... scraping your windows.

So, as we collectively buy school supplies, put away our shorts and close up the cottage, and prepare to return our noses to the grindstone of real life, I can't help but wonder how the world of business will fare in this 'not quite a recovery' economic climate. How will business owners and their employees walk the line between being both courageous and cautious? How will teams innovate when their instincts may still be telling them to reign in, be careful and keep scanning the skies for signs of, well anything, that might point the way back to business as usual?

In this atmosphere of ambiguity, there is still one thing I know for sure. I know that as employees listen to the 'Big Plans' or 'New Directions' their leaders roll out for their adoption, they will be deciding whether to throw their lot in with the change; they'll be looking for:

Common Ground: People want to know if their leaders really understand them. They want to feel that you appreciate their challenges; and can relate to their situation.
Authenticity: They want to know if you're real; followers want transparency; the stakes are too high today to be kept in the dark. Feeling manipulated by your leader is intolerable when people are being asked to step up or take one for the team.
Love: Yep, love. If people are going to follow you into an uncertain future they want to know you care about them. Employees aren't as impressed with degrees and 'know how' as much as they are with your genuine interest in them and empathy towards them.

Remember, 'If you don't engage people's heads and hearts, you'll loose their hands.'

Need to review your preparedness for leading the changes that this new season of business will bring? Call us. We have assessment change tools and programs designed to help you be the Change Champion that people want to follow.

Are You the Most Likely to Succeed?

2010-09-14T17:26:00.000-04:00

When I was in High School, every year the senior class chose a boy and girl who we thought would be the, 'Most Likely to Succeed'. We cast our votes for who we saw as having the magic combination of characteristics that would ensure career and life success. We were teenagers then and the science behind the voting was imperfect, of course. We selected candidates who were good looking and popular, more often than academically sound or ambitious. I never made the list.... ah, the tragedy!

So, what are the characteristics that make a change effort, Most Likely to Succeed?

When you're working on a project, solving a problem or loosing weight, there's nothing quite like the Big break-through. We're all looking for those dramatic surges of progress, those quantum leaps. We love the energy that comes with a major find, a timely innovation or the discovery of a brand new way of tackling an issue. Yeah...that's the key ingredient - right? Well, not exactly.

Oh, those mammoth advances happen sometimes, and we need to be looking for them and ready when they materialize. But the kind of change that lasts, is mostly the incremental kind. It comes by taking one well-considered step after another, again and again. This is especially true when you're introducing anything completely new to internal or external customers.

Here are some characteristics of innovative ideas most likely to succeed.

Stepped: These are ideas or processes that can be adopted in segments or phases. Users can ease into them, a step at a time. Even better adoption comes when customers or staff can use the new idea, product or process in parallel with what they are already doing.

Trial-able: This is when the idea, process or product can be test-driven on a pilot basis. Customers can see it in action first and incorporate it on a small scale before committing to full enchilada.

Minimal Risk: If it doesn't work, people can return to pre-innovation status. Eventually, of course, you want people to feel like they can't live without it, but in the beginning -at least in theory - it's possible to go back to zero.

Familiar: It looks and feels like things that people already understand and use, so it is not jarring to their systems. It's consistent with other experiences, especially successful ones.

Congruent: It's in line with the future direction of the team or company; it 'fits' with where other efforts are heading anyway. It doesn't require people to rethink their priorities or pathways, even though, of course, it changes things.

Ego Building; Simply put...it makes everyone look good. Enough said.

These key qualifiers leave plenty of room to promote revolutionary ideas under cover of evolutionary change. Remember, to find and grow a market for anything means tucking ideas in close to what users can adopt easily and then leading them to the next phase.

We work on crafting this type of approach in the Leaders Summit If you want to explore just how likely to succeed your change ideas are, give me a call. Maybe I can help you get voted in this year!

Coaching and Workplace Violence - A Critical Tool in Prevention, and Recovery - By: Mark Joyella, Coaching Commons

2010-08-11T13:33:00.001-04:00

What leads workers to resolve conflict on the job with violence?

And where does coaching fit in—in the aftermath of a violent incident—and, perhaps more importantly, months or years beforehand.

“People need help in knowing what to say—when my co-worker says this to me, or acts in that way—what can I do,” says Peggy Grall, a former psychotherapist who now does conflict coaching from her offices in Ontario, Canada.

“I think we can’t overstate the value of being in a relationship with someone like a coach…where we can have the opportunity to reflect on our own behavior, and our responses to other people’s behavior in the workplace,” said Grall.

“My guess is, a lot of the violence in the workplace that you see started off as frustration.”

Click here to read the entire article

How to Properly Sack Someone - By Rasha Mourtada, The Globe & Mail

2010-08-05T10:29:00.001-04:00

Ms. Grall agrees that reputation is something to consider. If you fire without due diligence, “you’ve just sent people out to the marketplace with a really bad feeling about your company.”

Like it or not, in situations where an employee isn’t performing up to par, the onus is on the employer to try to make the situation right – and to make a record of those efforts.

“You need to be able to demonstrate that you have made every effort to get training for that person,” says Ms. Grall.

Clearly documenting attempts to correct poor performance is a non-negotiable step of the process. “I’ve seen situations where the poor performance has gone on and on and then the employer is in a tough situation,” she says. “Everyone may agree this person needs to be let go, but if you haven’t documented then you could be looking at a lawsuit.”

Click here to read the entire article.

What Did He Say?

2010-06-08T10:11:00.001-04:00

I have a confession. I'm a quotation junkie. It's true and I'm proud of it!. I'm always in search of the perfect quote.

I love precise language; I admire people who can say volumes in a few words. It's an art to laser in on the heart of an issue, cast aside the fluff and lay bare the essence of the matter, in brief.

So, in honor those who use brief snippets of the English language to spread their brilliance, I give you just a few of my favorite quotations. I hope you find them as interesting, funny or inspiring as I have. And if you have any great quotes - send them along.

'If you are going through hell, keep going.'
Sir Winston Churchill

'It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.'
James Gordon, M.D.

'What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are small matters compared to what lies within us.'
Ralph Waldo Emmerson

'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'
The Bible

'The price of self- destiny is never cheap, and in certain situations it is unthinkable. But to achieve the marvellous it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.'
Tom Robbins

'It is most important to run out of scapegoats.'
Unknown

'You can't do right in one area while doing wrong in another - life is an indivisible whole.'
Ghandi

'If you argue for your limitations - you get to keep them.'
Unknown

'Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference.'
Nolan Bushnell

'We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.'
Norman MacFinan

'There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.'
Nelson Mandela

Now, wasn't that nice!

Are You Stuck?

2010-05-11T09:09:00.002-04:00

I recently returned from the Women President's Organization's Annual Conference in Ft. Lauderdale where I heard some great speakers. As many of you know I'm the Chapter Chair for the WPO in Toronto, and in that capacity I'm privileged to hear the concerns of senior women entrepreneurs on a regular basis. One of the issues for all organizations is overload and burnout of key people.

Keynote speaker, Harvard Business School professor Rebecca Henderson, spoke to us on the subject of organizations being stuck, and how they can get un-stuck. Let me explain. She reported on her research into how organization's chose, manage and succeed/or not, with projects.

She found that organizations, and in particular the senior managers, tend to overestimate their capacity for completing projects. She told of company after company where the list of active projects outnumbered people to lead them. She also commented on a universal phenomenon - that successful people routinely overestimate their capacity. She said that, in her experience, only the 'severely depressed' are accurate when estimating what they can realistically complete. This really rang so true to me.

One of the key elements in assuring success with a change project is to take a hard look at your list of competing projects. Dr. Henderson kept playfully referring to Project #26. Project #26, she said, is characterized by being that project that is:

A good project, worthy of completion
Everyone's favorite
Has been around for a while - keeps getting voted in - but not finished
And, here's the kicker - Project #26 will never get finished.

Why? Because there simply isn't the manpower to bring it home. In fact, if it did get the attention it deserves, it would become the 'overload tipping point' for the team or organization tasked with its completion.

What do you do with project #26? You kill it! That's right. Get everyone involved with it in a room- and come clean. Admit that it's not going to get done. Own up to the fact that it can't get done, and that to keep waving it in front of the poor saps responsible for it just demoralizes them. Just let it go. It'll hurt for a few minutes, and then everyone will release a collective sign of relief and turn their attention, and newfound time and resources, to the rest of the organization's key projects.

Managing capacity is a key ingredient in the success of an organization. When people tackle and finish projects and initiatives, they feel good about themselves; they feel energized and ready to tackle more difficult assignments.

Do your employees (and yourself?) a favor - take stock of the work before you. Be realistic about what will and won't get done this quarter, this year. And be brave enough to say NO to those efforts that will only drag your energy and enthusiasm down, no matter how exciting they may look to you. Sometimes it takes more courage to say no than to keep saying yes to every great idea that comes along. By being diligent about choosing among projects you'll ensure success and keep people engaged and on track.

So, what do you need to say no to?

Are You Stuck?

2010-05-11T09:09:00.000-04:00

Where's Your CEO Going Today?

2010-02-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

I hate reality shows...well, maybe hate's a strong word, but the contrived scenarios, the melodramatic participants and artificial cliff - hangers leave me pining for a good PBS program. But there's a new series in town that I think is fascinating.

Have you seen "Undercover Boss" yet? It's the new CBS reality series where a CEO of a major corporation goes incognito, deep into his company to see what his employee's work lives are really like. The maiden show featured Larry O'Donnell, President and CEO of Waste Management. He pulled shifts on the garbage trucks and hung out with local supervisors, all without them knowing who he really is. The end result of his foray into the lives of the 'little people' left him feeling that, things have gotta change around here. After he reveals who he is, he sets about implementing the changes, he sees the need for, and the show ends with the locals grinning from ear to ear.

Watching the interactions between the CEO and their employees, should raise some interesting questions for the senior leaders among us. Do you know what life is like for your front line employees? When was the last time you spent time with them, or invited them to a planning session or gave them an invitation to give you anonymous feedback and critique? To put a fine point on it - how in touch are you with the day-to-day realities of the workers in your company? And, if it's been a while - or maybe never - that you've made a concerted effort to investigate your employee's working challenges, how can you possibly expect to get those same employees to implement the changes you want?

The key factor in an employee's decision as to whether they will cooperate with the company's change agenda is how attached, appreciated, valued, heard and understood they feel by their immediate supervisor, and how much the company is interested in their working realities associated with the changes. Too often, when there's a change announced, management talks only of the benefits to the company and fails to factor in the 'transition' the employees will have to make in order to accommodate the new routines and processes.

Now, maybe your CEO can't / won't consider going 'undercover' and finding out for him/her self what needs to happen...but could you? Would you be willing to do some version of this with your direct reports? Might you spend a day doing the jobs of your front line employee's? I just wonder how it would affect the way you view their participation, or lack of it, in your grand plans.

Here's a challenge for you leaders out there - close your Outlook, walk out of your office, walk down the corridor and/or drive to one of your company's operational sites and spend a day. Talk to the people, not with your 'title' front and center, but with humility and curiosity. It might just surprise you what you see and hear.

If the thought of this leaves you sweating about how you'd handle the questions and feedback you might get, let me help you. Come join me, and an eager group of managers from several industries, on April 27 & 28 for a two- day coaching immersion experience - the Coaching Clinic. Let me show you how to have powerful conversations that will begin the change within the conversation itself. One of the concepts we teach in the Coaching Clinic is - if in doubt...ask. Make a commitment to begin to ask more questions and see what happens!

Are You Ready for 2010?

2010-01-05T09:03:00.000-05:00

You can feel the optimism in the air can't you? Everyone from Bay Street bankers to the Tim Horton's servers seem to feel that 2010 holds a promise for better times. Reading all the predictions for the coming year would be a full time occupation right now. And if you did take the time to listen to the Psychics and pundits, it's a sure bet that some of their ideas will be dead on and some will prove to be wild guesses at best.

One thing is for sure - radical change is in the air. Whole companies, and some industries have all but disappeared from the landscape. Those of us who are still standing are looking hard at doing business in fresh and innovative new ways.

As things get better, we will all need to be different to really capitalize on the momentum a rebounding economy generates. Doing business in a different way requires a fresh look at what your leadership is about and how you exert your influence.

One of my goals for 2010 is to be a richer source of support and information to my clients. Senior leaders tell me that they would love to read more, but aren't sure which books are worth their precious time. If that's how you feel, I've got good news for you!

I love to read and usually have a couple of books on the go all the time. So, I'm going to do the legwork for you (or is it eye work, or maybe brain work...whatever). Each month you will find a new link to my YouTube Channel - Book Bytes where you can view a brief (under two minutes) video of me, sharing with you, one or two key messages from a popular business book. I'll be highlighting the 'change' relevant information in each book so you can learn new ideas without the hassle of reading the whole book yourself. Just to clarify, I don't get any kickbacks from authors for this...it's simply my way of offering more value to you.

So, look to your right - see the button? Now click on it and take a look. Let me know what you think. And if you have suggestions for books that I should read (for you) just send your ideas to me at peggy@peggygrall.com

The world of research and books is fascinating and, along with you, I look forward to discovering new ways of leading change this year.

Check out Peggy in this National Post article

2009-12-11T10:07:00.002-05:00

A 'Warrior Approach' to Beat Winter Blahs"

What's In It For Them?

2009-12-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

The most common question I'm asked, when I begin working with a company to support their change initiative is, "how do we get people to do what we need them to do?" When the stakes are high and time-lines are tight, answering that question is key to moving any project forward. So, why is it so hard to get people on board, and what can leaders do to help people dig in and support the change?

All organizational change requires individual behavior change. I think people drag their feet and resist engaging in the new behaviors that change requires of them because they can't see the personal benefit of cooperating. They don't get the WIIFM (what's in it for me) and until that question is settled in people's hearts and minds, very little happens.

Now, I'm not saying that we humans aren't capable of altruistic behavior on the job. Most employees are happy to contribute to the United Way campaign or pitch in for an ill team member when necessary. The WIIFM in these instances is easily identified; there's a good feeling attached to helping those in need. What I'm talking about is that committed, sustained behavior change that's required to transform an organization.

Here's the deal - People need incentives to make real change happen. That new outfit for loosing those last 10 pounds, the degree for slogging it through all your classes or a medal for being the first to cross the finish line. Incentives give us energy when we're tired, a boost in morale when we're discouraged and a reason to go on - when we're not sure we can keep going.

Basking Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream. Do you offer thirty-one different reasons for employees to engage in your change effort? People want different things, and incentives generally fall into five categories:
Power or status activities
· Unique Opportunities
· Recognition
· Compensation
· Opportunities to Pay it Forward

Incenting employees can be as easy as asking them how they see their part in the change, where the jazz is for them, and what reward or pay-off they see for helping their team or department achieve the new goals. If you ask, people will be happy to tell you what's in it for them. Short - sighted leaders sometimes think that the only employee incentive (WIIFM) should be keeping a job. Not enough with today's war for the best talent.

In the spirit of Christmas, I've got a gift for you. Clink on this link Incenting & Rewarding and you can download four pages of possible incentives. You may find some that fit with your culture and change effort. Or maybe the things on my list will spark an idea in your mind, or your employee's minds. I encourage you to get familiar with exactly what's in it for your employees to get on board. Help them find their WIIFM early on in the project - and you'll see a greater degree of engagement all along the way.

Let me know which of the incentives you like best. Better yet, add to my list by posting to my blog.

Veterans

2009-11-16T08:23:00.000-05:00

As I write this it's Veterans Day in both Canada and the US and the airways are full of stories of determination, sacrifice and heroism. I think it's fair to say that, regardless of our national or political affiliation or beliefs, in our hearts, we all applaud the kind of courage it takes to be willing to risk it all to gain an important victory.

On CNN tonight, soldiers represented the major historical US military involvements from World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam War, Iraq and the current efforts in Afghanistan. When Lou Dobbs asked the Navajo 'Code Talker' from WWII to articulate what he thought Obama should do now he hesitated, swallowed hard and then softly spoke of the need to work towards peace. As each Veteran, in turn, gave their perspective on the current military actions I couldn't help but think how valuable their perspectives are. Each one spoke of the need for sober second thoughts and wisdom filled choices.

No armchair quarterbacks here; these are men and women who have lived it. They've been in the thick of battle and have stories to tell and wisdom to share. They've seen the enemy and faced em down. There is no real substitute for on the ground experience - in war and in leading change.

Hindsight really is 20/20.

When I get called into a company to help with a new change initiative I'm aware that there is often an underlying cynicism about how valuable the stories from the past will be in moving forward. I witness the slight rolling of the eyes as long term employees are described as naturally resistant to change and not to be counted on as Change Champions. Really?

What if we took another look? What if we honored long time employees as our 'Change Veterans'? What would happen if we asked them to share their perspectives on past change efforts, their knowledge of the enemy (change failure) and their strategies for coping with fear, stress and the uncertain future that most organizations are facing. They might just have something to share with us; they might hold a viewpoint that could inform current choices and temper risky plans.

The best way to move beyond superficial indicators of a person's ability to make change, and get to the core of their true capacity, is to assess their change style. Hundreds of organizations have done this by using my Change Style Index - an individual, self-assessment tool that reveals both transitional strengths and limitations. I designed the Change Style Index to be used in conjunction with a team or organization's change planning activities. If you'd like to find out what kind of changer you, and your team, really are - let's talk!

Who Are These People and Why Are They Driving Me Crazy?

2009-10-14T09:20:00.000-04:00

Change initiatives bring out the best - and worst - in all of us. From senior leaders to front line staff, we often need very different things from each other to make a transition successful.

A few of the most common Dimensions of Diversity that can derail an organization's change plans are:

Values: Shaky and/or not shared by the entire group
Vision: Fuzzy and/or not embraced by key leaders
Competencies: Risk tolerance disparities among leaders
Attitudes: Resisters working along side of Change Champions
Personal Style: Thinking and responding styles colliding

I know that ethnicity, age, gender, education and such are the big markers of diversity. Fair enough, they affect many aspects of our work life. But, I think our approaches to change, both helpful and not, go deeper than that.

Personal biases towards change, risk tolerance and individual style run deeper and can cause more headaches than the obvious points of difference when groups are in transition.

The first step in leveraging differences is to make the unknown, known. Speak it, share it, and make it visible. Create opportunities for people, at all levels of the organization, to declare their perspectives and preferred approach to change. Than make the plan fit the folks!

By making differences transparent, everyone has the opportunity to get their own needs met, while learning to flex their style to accommodate the styles of others. When push comes to shove, as it often does in the throws of intense change, understanding each other is Job #1.

The tool that my client's tell me is the most helpful at really uncovering differences is DISC Personal Profiles. I've done dozens of DISC Team Workshops that are fun and interactive, and get at the core of differences among team members - highlighting how they can work together more productively. The Dimensions of Diversity list above acts as the backdrop in the workshop to understanding group norms and uncovering both strengths and gaps.

If your team is launching a change initiative, let's talk about what you're really going to need to be successful. Individual diversity can 'choke out' or 'lead the charge' to success...you get to decide!

Learned Anything Lately?

2009-09-08T12:16:00.000-04:00

The Toronto Star has declared that the recession is officially over. Really? Whether the financial wizards at the Star are right or not, every new day brings more signs of people and routines returning to their pre-recession normal. As the financial dust is settling, the big question on everyone's mind is, of course, will the buying public adopt a new, more rational, sane approach to lifestyle purchases and debt, or will they resume their forty-year spending spree?

The recession has been tough on millions of people: lost jobs, foreclosed homes and retirement dreams have vanished. It's also been devastating for thousands of companies, and sobering, to say the least, for governments on both sides of the American border and abroad.

The big question is really this - have we learned anything from the events of the recent past? Will individuals, companies and governments change their ways? And, can we collectively learn from our mistakes? Conventional wisdom says, 'those who change best are those who must'. So, do we really need to change our ways, now that many are going back to work, credit is being extended and the fear mongers on CNN has moved on to other 'Breaking News'?

My hope is that we all transform our recessionary experiences into lessons learned. To do that we are going to need to:

Stop/Reflect: What's happened for you and to you in the past few months? Ask yourself, what's clear to me now that was hard to see a year ago? We hold more power than we're generally willing to own up to. How many times has your personal or professional history repeated itself? What part have you played in the creation of, or participation in, the recent economic storm, and what part could you play now to move yourself, your team or community forward?

Claim Your Victories: What's worked for you this past year, in spite of the circumstances? What have you done well? And, who and what helped you get through this mess? If you've weathered the past year and are still standing - then high-fives all-round! And don't - as my uncle used to say- forget to, dance with the ones who brung ya. Give a shout out to all your friends, family and colleagues that have helped you keep your stick on the ice.

Draw Some Lines: Learning from the past means bringing what you know now into your future. For a whole lot of folks, that's going to mean drawing a line in the sand and learning to live within their means and making better buying and business decisions from here on. For companies it may mean watching more carefully for 'moving cheese'. In the now famous fable, "Who Moved My Cheese?", Hem & Haw were caught off guard when their supply of cheese vanished bit by delicious bit. Maybe you were too.

So, right now - write down three things you will stop doing and three you will start doing that can ensure that those 'predictable surprises' are kept to a minimum!

Don't waste a good crisis! Make some decisions about how you want your life and career to be - then call me, and together we'll make sure you don't back over your new line.

Learned Anything Lately?

2009-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

What's Your Legacy?

2009-07-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've no-doubt heard that, the 'King of Pop' has died. The tributes, memorials and media specials of the past week have shone a spotlight on a music-loving world, processing the loss of a favorite son.

It's been interesting to watch this mass farewell unfold. Like Elvis and Princes Diana before him, the life story of Michael Jackson is, minute-by-minute, morphing from being a tale of an undeniably talented, but bizarre man, into an account of an iconic star - a King. His life story is being re-written right before our TV watching, YouTube surfing eyes. Negative facts and events are being minimized, while recording achievements and triumphs are being highlighted and re-run, over and over. The Jackson family spin-doctors are hard at work and the result is a stunning demonstration of a legacy in the making.

With any change comes loss; and when the final curtain falls on a major celebrity, whether one of your favorites or not, you may find yourself feeling a sense of sadness, remembering the 'good old days'; replaying happier times.

Michael Jackson's music helped define a generation. He's a youngish Boomer who blasted on to the music scene in the 70's and deepened his star power in the 80's. He changed a generation's music landscape and now he's gone. Forever silenced. He was planning a comeback tour - no one will ever know if he actually could have 'come-back' or not. The question on everyone's lips now is - what will his legacy be? When the dust settles and the collective tears have dried, how will he be remembered?

Maybe you're a Boomer too. If so, you likely 'burst' onto the working scene in the late 60's or 70's. You may have rocketed to the top of your professional game in the 80's and 90's and now you may be easing out of the work force, or at least beginning to think about it.

Let me ask you - what will your legacy be? How will your clients and colleagues remember you? What contributions have you made to your workplace, industry or profession? And, how will your community, family and friends remember your work - and you?

Whether you plan on working only till RSP values return, or you adhere to the, retirement over my dead body philosophy, it's not too late to do something to create your own lasting legacy.

You can start today to:
Mentor younger colleagues. Those less experienced, newer folks at work need your encouragement, your support and the occasional nugget of wisdom that only age and experience can supply. Who can you take under your wing?

Document key company history and knowledge. You may be the only guy or gal left from when the company was first formed, or first went public, and you may be among only a handful of people who fully understand the rationale behind key decisions made, decisions that still affect business success today. What do you know that you need to get down on paper?

Look for opportunities to demonstrate core values. The new generation of employees is hungry for meaning and significance at work. What values have you stood for in your working career? Why are they important and who needs to see you 'walk the talk' now?

Think about it. Where do you, and your contributions, fit in the fabric of your company, industry or profession? Then do more than think about it - actively engage in legacy leaving activities. Get busy ensuring that your work outlasts your presence. Who knows, maybe your picture will be blasted across the company intranet on your last day. Hey - it could happen!

What's Changing For You?

2009-06-04T09:25:00.000-04:00

I don't usually say much about what's happening for me personally in this ezine, but it's been an exciting few weeks for me - and I'm just itching to tell you all about what's changing in my world.

I was recently selected to be the Chapter Chair for the Women President's Organization's two Toronto groups. The WPO, headquartered in New York and boasting 86 chapters world-wide, is a non-profit membership organization for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies.. My role as Chapter Chair is to meet monthly with these fabulous women and facilitate, or 'coax the genius' out of the group; my task is to help them grow their businesses to the next level. I'm pumped about this opportunity. These gals are savvy business women and I'm looking forward to spending time with them and creating high-value interactions for their meetings. I'm anticipating that, while I guide their round-tables, I'll have my own thinking challenged as well!

My next Big News is that I've been awarded the National Speaker's Associations' highest earned designation - Certified Speaking Professional! I've been working towards this goal for the past five years, and on July 19th in Phoenix, Arizona I'll walk across the main stage and grasp it in my hot little hand! Less than 10% of the nearly 5500 Professional Speakers in the association have achieved this level and I'm honoured to be receiving it.

Lastly, and this is the part that involves you-all - I've been listening to you. In response to your requests for services to make personal- change more successfully - we're spinning off a new web site in the fall, designed to help you do just that! The site will provide you with a truck-load of resources and allow you to join with other 'Changers' to learn more about the nuts-n-bolts of transforming, and give you an opportunity to buddy- up with others, to change what you thought you couldn't. Oh, and there's even going to be a Biggest Changer Challenge! So, stay tuned, we'll be telling you more about this exciting venture over the next few months.

Ok, so enough about me. What's changing in your world? They say that, "a change is as good as a rest", and I'm a believer. With my recent changes I've been infused with a new sense of excitement and energy.

So, what could you change that could re-boot your enthusiasm? What behaviour, habit or way of thinking and/or responding could you transform that would juice up your career or personal life? Think about it - then get busy doing it! If you want a personal guide to help you, check out my "Just Change It!" book and the accompanying Workbook. They have been designed to walk a would-be changer step-by-step through any change, personal or professional. If you get started today - where could you be by this time next month?

Crisis? What Crisis?

2009-05-04T12:22:00.001-04:00

Just when you thought it was safe to take a deep breath...the Swine flu shows up! This has been quite a year so far...hasn't it? The United States has officially declared a public health emergency, and Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, told a teleconference just this week that more cases in Canada are, in his words, "just a matter of time."

So, let's see....we're in an economic climate we haven't seen since the 50's, we've got an ongoing terrorist threat, a looming pandemic, and, in Ontario at least, a Spring that just won't seem to commit. Hum....I think we have the making of a perfect storm here.

When a whole whack of things all become unpredictable at once, fear becomes the emotion of the day. And, savvy leaders know that, as the environment changes, their leadership style needs to change along with it. In times like these, change leadership needs to morph into crisis leadership.

What can you do for yourself and your people now?

During a crisis people need three things. They need to feel safe, the need to have hope, and they need to know that someone is doing something about the situation! Now, let's establish some foundational truths here; you didn't create the conditions that are rocking everyone's boats - but, as their leader, you do need to take steps that will help them settle down and maintain productivity at work in the middle of the storm. So, an effective response isn't one of defending or necessarily 'fixing' the situation, it's more about communicating and supporting people. Now remember, during crisis, keeping the business going is job #1.

Feeling safe at work is a basic human need. Many of your employees likely have concerns regarding their potential for exposure to the Swine flu, at work, and will want to know the steps that you're taking to ensure their well being & safety. Communicating what you DO know and what you ARE doing will help everyone's comfort level. Here are four practical things you can do to help your employees:

1. Communicate: You can't over communicate in a crisis. Communicate to your employees that you're following the situation closely and will take all necessary steps to ensure their safety and health. Oh, and watch your language. Use words like 'the situation' in place of 'the impending death of thousands' and, 'our response' in place of 'the only thing we can do', etc. Words are powerful, choose yours wisely.

2. Have a Plan: Ask people to report to their supervisors/managers right away if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms. In the US - OSHA has a special site for the pandemic influenza. OSHA recommends that, if you don't already have a pandemic flu plan, you get one- quick!

3. Review & Adjust Your Policies: Review and adjust your leave of absence and telecommuting policies and adjust them, if you need to. And, for everyone's sake - encourage employees to stay at home if they experience flu-like symptoms.

4. Utilize Your EAP Program: If you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), remind employees that these services are available to help them cope with the stresses that often result from this sort of medical crisis.

Being pro-active in this way will give your employees hope and reassure them that you are on top of things. Your staff are adults, they know you don't control these 'situations' - but knowing that you're thinking about them allows everyone to get back to their work.

For those of you who may not know, I am certified in Critical Incident Response Debriefing and have been called into companies to help with everything from a 9/11 type occurrence to a brewing scandal. If I can be helpful to you over the next while, don't hesitate to call me. We're all in this together...

Ready For Some Fun?

2009-04-06T10:46:00.003-04:00

On June 10 and 11, 2005, at Yale University, Dorothy Singer, Roberta Golinkoff, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek hosted a conference called PLAY = LEARNING.

They reported that, “We held the conference because of the pressures on young children NOT to play but to learn disembodied facts, even in the crib. (sounds like many training programs – doesn’t it?) We lament our culture's increasing emphasis on drill and practice at the expense of play…. we hoped to do our bit to counter the trend that makes PLAY a four-letter word in our society.”

I wish there were a similar effort to marry play and learning for grown-ups. I believe that learning happens best for adults when they are introduced to a concept and then given some ‘play-time’ with it.

Research tells us that children move through five distinct stages of play as they develop. Babies begin with Exploratory Play; they pick up things and shake them, bang and turn toys around and taste everything. This reminds me of what adults do with ideas; they ‘pick them up’, bang them against what else they know and see how they feel.

Then children move on to Functional Play; they use objects the way they were meant to be used; they roll a ball, stack blocks, and listen to a toy phone. This type of activity could be correlated with adults trying out the new idea or skill against their own set of experiences and testing out whether they new idea or skill will really work in their world.

As toddlers race towards the terrible twos, they begin to use Creative – Symbolic Play; that is, they may pretend a box is a train; the box symbolizes a train. They make one object creatively serve the purpose of another known object. Could adults be doing a form of this when they begin to substitute what they are learning for what they have known previously?

Between the ages of three and four children discover the delight in Pretend Play; they ‘act like’ other people, they take on other’s behaviours and mannerisms for short periods of time. This sounds like role-playing and improvisation to me; both effective methods of embedding a new skill.

And finally, by the time the kids they reach school age, they are ready to engage in Sequenced Pretend Play; they can interact with others with their newly developed skills and they can adjust their behaviours and reactions when encountering a new environment or circumstance. I think this is what we all do when we get back to our offices after a training session. We begin to practice the new skills in short spurts, at first, with our colleagues and later embracing them as our own.

So, is there any fun in your change initiatives? I developed Transition Poker to help you with that. When folks in my Leader’s Summit sessions are learning how to be strong change leaders, we take those ideas and, well… play with them. They get dealt a ‘hand’ of change realities and then they place their bets. By the time the game is over, players have a much fuller understanding, and confidence, about exactly what, and how, they will navigate the high-risk, high-reward territory of organizational transitions.

Does your team or organization need to know how to respond to people’s resistance to change, invite collaboration and work around the barriers that missing resources and stakeholder apathy present? Then the Transition Poker Workshop just may be for you. If you want to bring some fun to your organization’s learning programs, find out how you can use Transition Poker to fire-up your next training session, call me today.

Are You Hopeful?

2009-03-20T08:41:00.000-04:00

I was talking with a colleague this morning and asked how, and what, she was doing in this tough economy. She said she was seeing clients, fulfilling contracts, but mostly, she said, she was spending her time spreading hope.

Ah, the optimists are worth their weight in gold right now, aren't they? There's enough fear and hand wringing around to stuff a stadium and what the world, and our organizations, need now is hope!

The world got a glimpse of what a hopeful leaders looks like last week when Obama (we can just call him Obama now, can't we?) gave his first unofficial, State of the Union Address to a packed house. If you missed his speech, take a listen to what he said in the first three minutes.

"But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before. The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach...those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more."

Regardless of your national allegiance or political preferences, this is change leadership at its hopeful best. No one knows exactly how or when recovery will come, not even Obama, but isn't it great to hear someone express optimism that it will? It's inspiring to be around people with a, 'take that hill' response to fear.

So, who's listening to your vision for the future? What's your team, friends and family hearing from you right now? What are you spreading?

There are reasons to be hopeful right now. Here are just a few:

Everything ends: good times end - and so do tough times. It's just a matter of time before the economic and political pendulums begin to swing the other way. Look for it, be ready when it starts - heck, be the first one to move in the other direction. Lead the charge back to sanity from your desk.

You're tougher than you think: the same skills that pulled you through your teenage angst, a previous job loss, your divorce, your parent's health crisis - or the last recession - are still within you. Flex those muscles again. You have what it takes to move beyond your current place - look for it within yourself, own it, call on it now!

Spring is coming: for those of us living in cold climates - the winter is almost over! All those gray landscapes are just about to burst with color. Those icy winds will soon give way to warm breezes, the crocuses are just under the surface ready to leap to our rescue and....YES, like mighty sleeping giants, we will rise again! Kiss your winter thinking good bye and get ready to welcome your spring self!

Hope is what keeps us moving forward. Hope builds confidence and invites people to take a risk and step out. With hope in your heart you can stare down the fiercest of circumstances!

Would it be helpful if you could engender hope in others? How would you, your team or organization benefit if you knew how to engage people to help them find a renewed sense of optimism and the energy that comes with it?

Join us for a two-day learning experience aimed at doing just that.

Are You In?

2009-02-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

It's the sign of the times that Starbucks has launched their new Shared Planet Program. They are inviting us all to do our part to realize their goal of 1 million community service hours donated this year. For your pledge of just 4 hours of work they will give you a free cup of coffee. (Want a date square with that?)

It's a noble effort - and a fine marketing campaign for Starbucks. They pose the challenge and then ask the question - are you in?

We're in interesting times in North America and that question begs an answer from all of us. It's a question about commitment; for Starbucks, it's a challenge of putting your sweat-equity where your coffee-lovin mouth is.

Starbuck's definition of 'in' goes something like this; If you want the freebies that we're handing out, you gotta anti-up with a promise of lending your time and talent to saving the planet. Not a bad trade if you ask me. Saving the planet, like an organizational transformation effort, will take everyone's full participation to make it happen.Good for them!

So, let me ask you - what do you do when your company announces a change? Do you go All In?

I've observed an interesting phenomenon in some companies. Soon after the rumours begin to fly about some upcoming, unpleasant change, many of the leaders begin to vanish. They just seem to disappear. They're 'in meetings', taking vacation days, working at home with a perpetual 'out of office' messages on their email. For their staff it appears that they've just 'left the building'. And when you do get a rare glimpse of them, they're sporting that 'don't ask me' look on their faces.

They are anything but all in.

Now it's natural enough for leaders to feel the same fear and worry that their people feel. Natural maybe, but like giggles in church, not helpful to those around them. The vacuum created by the physical and emotional absence of leaders during times of challenge and uncertainty leave people more fearful, more sure that the bad news leaking out through the rumours is bound to get worse.

When fear is high, people need leaders to lead. They need to 'talk to' and 'touch' their leaders more often than usual. They need that calming effect that the presence of a committed leader brings to an uncertain environment.

So, as a leader, what can you do when the task is BIG, you are as scared as the rest?

Be Real - Remember when Dan Rather appeared on the Late Show right after 9/11 and was asked how he was feeling about reporting such a tragedy? He teared up - and his approval ratings skyrocketed. He didn't try to hide his emotions, but shared them instead. Authenticity rocks!

Be Present - Stay visible, walk around, talk to people, ask how they're doing. No one expects you to have all the answers or respond like an emotionless robot. If you don't know what to say in some instances or how to answer a particular question, be honest and say - 'I don't know'. And then do your best to get and share up to date information.

Be Empathetic - Daniel Goleman, author of Primal Leadership has enlightened us all to the power of empathy - that response that says - I see you, I hear you and I get how you're feeling right now. I may not be feeling exactly how you feel, and I may not be able to do much to change your circumstance - but I get what your experience is right now - and I care.

That's what it means to me to go all in during a change effort. It means bringing your whole self to the game. It means focusing on the needs of others and doing your part to keep the effort moving forward.

There's no time like a new year to brush up on your leader skills. Call me if you'd like to experience a coaching program that can help you do just that. And, if you're interested in having your team learn some powerful coaching skills as well ...don't wait. Grab everyone and Go All In!

And so this is Christmas...

2008-12-18T15:17:00.003-05:00

Click here to listen to "So this is Christmas"

Introducing Ellie, our beautiful new granddaughter and the best part of 2008!

The Presidential Dance Off

2008-10-31T14:10:00.000-04:00

Will Obama Win?

2008-10-31T14:08:00.002-04:00

If you're following the American election, and if you're not - how in the world are you avoiding it? Then you know that, at this moment Obama and Mc Cain are locked in a dead heat to the finish line - with Obama in the lead. It's been fascinating to listen to them both talk about the changes they will make if elected.Both are promising sweeping, multi-issue, complex, radical change. Both are handing out assurances for a better life; greater prosperity, increased safety, a revolutionized health care system, bolstered infrastructures and sounder financial markets, and they - so they say - will make it happen. They both guarantee bold - yet compassionate - leadership and, both have 'plans'. Sounds great - doesn't it?

But, beneath the veneer of political boasting lurks the reality of how change actually happens. When one of the contenders finally steps into the White House they will be faced with the sobering truth - change ain't for sissies.

Change happens one conversation at a time and the new President will need a savvy Transition Team of people dedicated to reaching out to the larger group; men and women who see themselves as agents of the change - willing to be the Commander and Chief's eyes and ears on the ground, feeding information back about how the change is really going and make recommendations for course corrections. No man, or woman, is an island and no one person can pull off this magnitude of change alone.

This time next month, the waiting will be over. In the meantime, what are you doing to get your team ready for their changes? Do you have a Transition Team in place? The Leaders Summit is a comprehensive learning program designed to you with the techniques and skills to make good on your promises for transformation.

To activate an entire nation like the US towards change means budgets to analyze - and then slash, wars to retreat from - or finish and literally millions of ordinary people to mobilize. It will require overhauling complex systems, engaging former archenemies and significantly disrupting the day-to-day routine of literally millions of businesses and households. And that's only the process for inside the US boarders - the ripple effect out to the rest of the world will be, well HUGE.

This kind of audacious transformation will require a willingness to cooperate never seen before; it will mean a giving up of values held dear by many who will cling to the status quo, even if the current state of affairs is crumbling. In short, the mammoth change that both men are promising will be an enormous undertaking, requiring the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and - you guessed it - time. Lots of time.

There will be no quick fixes for the US regardless of whom the voters choose. Those of you leading teams and organizations know this. You understand the challenges you face when trying to get a group of people to change - imagine a whole country! Now, both these men believe that this kind of change is doable, but that it will take the commitment of 'every American' to make it happen. Well, not quite. How do you get wholesale commitment from everyone in a change effort? You don't. And, you don't need to.

But what the new President will have to do, just like any other change leader, is gain the support of a key portion of the electorate; a group fiercely committed to seeing the change happen.

Is the Sky Falling?

2008-10-10T10:04:00.000-04:00

It's been just a few days since US President George 'W' Bush faced cameras and made an impassioned plea for his government to approve a plan to bail Wall Street out of its current financial crisis. The severity and complexity of the mess appears to be unprecedented, the global economic impact uncertain and the emotional toll mounting as Joe Public tries to make sense of it all.

Affected business leaders across all industries are asking themselves, what do I do with this? How will I make good choices, handle my own anxiety, fear and anger over the losses and, how can I lead my people now?

John Holt said it best, "The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do".

Leaders are telling me they feel a bit like the King in the famous children's story Chicken Little. That story opens with Henny-Penny just minding her own business when she's suddenly hit on the head. She doesn't see it coming, doesn't know what it was, has never experienced it before and so concludes that the sky was falling. She runs to tell her friends: Ducky Daddles, Cocky Locky, Goosey Poosey and Turkey Lurkey and they decide that the only rational response to such a catastrophe, is to go tell the King. They get side tracked by Foxy Loxy, outsmart him, escape and finally reach the King. When they inform the King the sky is falling, he looks up, sees that indeed it isn't and tells them everything will be ok, and that they should go back to the barn.

In crisis, or perceived crisis, people want a King like Chicken Little had. People want their leader to tell them it's going to be all right - whether the leader knows it will be or not is irrelevant; they want to hear it anyway.

Inherent within every crisis are both Danger & Opportunity. We don't have to look far to be reminded of the dangers, just tune into CNN; they're trotting them out in graphic detail, every hour on the hour. Near the end of every broadcast they tell viewers, in a variety of ways, to - be afraid, be very afraid. Broadcasters remind us that, after all, this could only be the beginning of the fallout - the worse is surely yet to come.

Riveting television, bad leadership.

During times of uncertainty, leaders need to be realistic about outcomes, and empathetic towards people. They need to talk optimistically about what they do know and sparingly about what they don't know.

And, the opportunities - what about them? They're there - they always are. Tucked in behind the clouds of doom are always little streaks of sunlight; rays of hope, voices that are calm and optimistic. Do you hear them? Are you one of them? Can people count on you for a sensible, thoughtful approach? It's tough - but doable - to remain grounded when the ground is shaking.If you need some help to navigate the changes you're in - call me.

Where Are You Going?

2008-09-17T13:51:00.001-04:00

Ah, fall is in the air! It's back to work and school. For lots of people September is a time for new beginnings, for recommitment to routines and schedules. It's a time when we reluctantly leave behind a slower pace and re-position our noses on the preverbal grindstone, yet again. For many, September is a month ripe with an unspoken challenge to step up your game.Many of my clients are expressing the desire to be more real, relevant and more ready for change. They're rumbling about achieving bigger numbers, securing promotions and finding balance, with an intensity that wasn't there in June.

So, what will the next few months mean for you? Whether your dreams are about getting fit, finishing a degree or climbing Kilimanjaro - the question is - how will you make that happen?

Bob Buford, author of, From Success to Significance suggests three ways to plunge ahead with passion and purpose.

First - Get Clear. "Gain clarity about your perspectives, your attitudes, your 'calling', the results that you most want in your life." I would add, get real. Get truthful with yourself. Do your goals match your core beliefs? Do they fit with who you really are? If they don't - they may be great goals for someone else, just not for you. Bob would ask, 'what do you need to get clear? If it were a few years from now and you were living the perfect life, how would you know?" Great clarity questions.

Second - Get Free. "Identify and free your mind and heart of unrealistic expectations, untrue assumptions, unfounded fears and needless financial pressure. " Not easy, especially if you're struggling with limiting beliefs, paralyzing fears or financial burdens that have stopped you in the past. I would add, get relevant. Relevance comes by challenging those habits, practices or people that hold you back and choosing to keep only those that fit now. It's not disrespectful to eliminate people or beliefs that aren't supportive of your loftier goals - it's smart. I would ask, "What will you need to leave behind to move ahead?"

Third - Get Going. There's simply no substitute for action! Bob instructs us to, "Begin simply by talking with those you love, researching what others are doing in the area you are interested in, trying some small projects, preparing for transition and praying for direction." Or, in other words - get ready for change. Ease into it, but get moving - today! For most would-be changers, the feel the fear and do it anyway motto works best. Don't wait till you're 'ready' for the difficult stuff - start now. Sneak up on your resistance and start racking up some early wins to keep you motivated.

Oh, and if you're leading a group towards an audacious goal, how will you help them through this process?

Give it some thought, because September is one of those fresh, exciting months that sends a lot of folks into their boss's office just bursting with great ideas.

Golf Anyone?

2008-08-05T09:49:00.001-04:00

It's summertime and I bet that some of you are golfing more than you're working. I don't golf often, but when I do I'm struck by the similarities between golf and leading change.

The first time I golfed I was nervous because I assumed that everyone on the course would be a good golfer. I figured that, if someone invested hundreds of dollars in clubs and clothes, plunked down a lot of money to play and then went to a public course to do it, that they would probably know what they're doing. Not so.

I soon learned that there are lots of novices like me who have clubs, enjoy the game but .will never be mistaken for Annika Sorenstam. Sadly, the same scenario exists in most organizations; there are lots of leaders involved in change initiatives, but few real Change Champions.

At work or on the golf course, the right tools are key to success. You wouldn't use a driver around the greens, or a putter in the rough. But I see people routinely reaching for their command and control 'club' when a softer, more elegant communication approach is what's called for.

And, speaking of being in the rough, and place I visit often on my way to the flag, getting out of the rough with minimal strokes can, as they say, really separate the men from the boys. Teams in transition will inevitably spend time in the 'rough'; that in-between place where people and processes aren't like they used to be, but aren't yet what they should be. It's a tough spot to be in and, just like the tall grass and trees that make up the rough on a golf course, leaders need finesse to move themselves and their teams through the uncomfortable parts of a change . The rough requires a sound knowledge of: your clubs (options) the terrain (yourself, the objectives and the company's change-readiness) and your tolerance for risk (that seems to be the same in golf or in business).

Another parallel between playing golf and leading change is that the task is never the same twice, no matter how similar it looks at first glance. Even if you play the same course every Saturday morning, each time you step up to a tee - it's a new shot. Today the wind is a factor, last time it wasn't, or the greens are dryer and so landing a shot is harder. Good golfers understand this. At each hole they check to see where the flag is; they know that flags, just like people or processes, can be in a different spot than they were last time they took the same shot

I don't get out on the links or practice much so I'm at about the same skill level I was when I first took up the game. Oh, I've always been able to drive decently enough, but it's my 'short game' that's well, less than it should be. So, I like playing Best Ball. Best Ball is a great way to describe the work of a high-performance transition team. Each player (team member) has skin in the game; that is, they all accept responsibility for the outcome of the game.

When you're in a game of Best Ball, you quickly learn who has the stronger drive, putting or the ability to get out of the sand trap, and a savvy team leans into the strengths of its members. Each player takes their best shot in turn, but they know that their team- mates are there to help out when their individual effort falls short. They share the goal, the pressure to perform and ultimately the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.

So, how's your game?

Are you someone who people are thrilled to have lead their team?

Need to brush up on your change-leadership skills?

Maybe I can help. Just don't count on me for golf!

Investment Executive - Family Conflict

2008-07-19T09:26:00.002-04:00

See Peggy quoted in this months issue of Invetsment Executive on the subject of conflict among family members.

Been To Disneyland Lately?

2008-06-06T09:24:00.001-04:00

Nobody does customer service better than Disney. Nobody!

I just returned from presenting at a conference on Disney property in Orlando, Florida - and I have a few insights to share.Now, I grew up in Southern California and went to Disneyland a lot. As a kid - it was magical! I remember being wowed by the sights of everything Disney. This year is Disney's 50th Anniversary and their theme for this year is 'the Magical Journey'. From the minute I stepped on to Disney's Magical Express to travel to my hotel, till I waved a final see ya real soon to Mickey, it was... well, still magical.

This time I noticed something I was too young to care about as a kid. I was struck by the 'journey' that they kept telling me I was on. That's what they called it - the Journey the magical journey. When I went to breakfast I was encouraged to enjoy a 'magical meal'. On my way to my workshop room they called after me to have a 'magical meeting' and when I called the front desk to arrange a wake-up call, the soothing voice on the other end, invited me to fall into a 'magical sleep'.

And the Cast Members (what else would you call people who are guiding you through a magical journey) directed, instructed, encouraged and served me every step of my stay. When I got lost, going looking for my themed dinner destination, they took me there. When I needed to check on my flight - they took care of it. It was clear that they knew where I was supposed to be going and I relaxed into their leadership, happy not to have to worry too much about the final destination.

Now, I'm a big girl and I know that the ultimate goal of Disney shareholders is to pry as much of my money away from me as they can. But they get to their goal by lavishly, and unapologetically taking me on a journey that caters to my needs. And that my friends is nothing short of brilliant!

If you've been in a workshop with me you know that I talk a lot about change leaders speaking to the 'me' issues early and creating a 'story' for the change; a descriptive 'picture' of the end goal - the organizational equivalent of Disney's magical journey.

A good goal story:

Is compelling - it captures your imagination
Pulls people towards the goal
Speaks to what your heart desires
Is told by everyone, all the time
Is stamped on everything the traveler touches and is related to everything the traveler experiences

So, have you got a story for your next change initiative? No? Better get one quick. Leading change is heart work. Before you leave the station with your team, borrow a page from Mickey and take time to grab their imaginations. If you want help crafting your change story - give me a call.

My telephone number is 905-659-6683.

Are Your Customers Changing?

2008-05-05T09:28:00.001-04:00

How do you know when your customer's needs have changed? Do you know what's meaningful to them? What keeps them up at night? And when your products or services are changing, how do you let your customers know?

Not all customers leave suppliers because of price, product or options. Research tells us that many leave because they feel that the company doesn't understand them and what they really need.

68% leave because they believe the company doesn't care about them
14% leave because they are dissatisfied
9% leave because they are lured by a competitor
5% leave because they are influenced by friends
4% leave because they simply move away

How are you letting your customers - both internal and external - know that you care about them? When organizations are in flux, and that's just about everyone these days, knowing how others are changing is just as valuable as knowing what your team or organization are up to. Being blindsided by other people's changes stings. Don't let it happen to you.

I suggest that you look for every opportunity to build communication bridges. Bridges that allow information to flow to and from your customer in ways that keep you and them informed about shifts in either party's operations or requirements.

Speak to them. Listen to them. Call them on the phone. You remember - it's that small black devise on your desk that harnesses radio waves and allows you to actually have an old fashioned conversation. Use it. Call your customers and ask them how they are. Sound simple? Apparently this kind of communication is exactly what your customers are waiting for - a supplier that sees themselves as a partner. A supplier that has time for them. The kind of time it takes to pick up the phone and say - hey, what's changed?

If you want some help with the kinds of questions that can get to the shifting priorities and issues in a group, give me a shout. I've got some ideas that just might help.

My telephone number is 905-659-6683.

What Are You Apologizing For?

2008-04-08T09:10:00.000-04:00

Change brings out the best, and worst in all of us. When things are moving fast, processes and next steps are blurry and highly prized outcomes are way off in the distance, some of us can get a bit testy. Feelings can be raw when the will to achieve is being challenged by the enormity of the task.

The truth is, when life or work is fast -n -furious, we make mistakes, faux pas, miss-steps and miss-speaks; we 'forget' important deadlines, drop the ball, miss-calculate or step out of character. In short, we screw up sometimes!

Maybe you had the same kind of mom I did. I'd be playing with my siblings and 'accidentally' hit them too hard. My mom would appear out of nowhere, stand me face to face with the offended and say, 'Now Peggy, say you're sorry'. I'd dutifully drop my head in fake remorse and mumble 'sorry'. I was in that moment, of course, anything but sorry.

The problem with saying 'sorry' as a kid was that I believed that sorry was synonymous with guilt, and that by saying I was sorry I was admitting that I had intended to hurt my sibling, which was, only occasionally the case.

My intentions as a child were often suspect. But as an adult, for the most part, my intentions are honourable. And, like most of you, I don't set out to be hurtful; I don't try to infuriate those around me. But, sometimes I know I do and I know I need to apologize. So, I've learned to see apologizing from a different perspective.

I think there are three Professional Apologies that need to be liberally given in the workplace:

Responsibility Apology:
This is when you take responsibility for having hurt someone - whether you meant to or not. Simply put, this apology is for when; someone got hurt (ruffled, delayed, embarrassed, etc.), you were in some way the cause - and you regret your actions. You own up and ask for forgiveness.

Acknowledgement Apology:
This is when your actions were justified, necessary or pure and yet the person reacted by getting hurt or upset in some way. This apology is an acknowledgement that you are sorry that they are hurt, but don't necessarily regret what you did or didn't do that may have brought them to this point. This apology can work for change leaders that have to make those tough decisions that impact people in negative ways.

Empathetic Apology:
This apology is essentially - I had nothing to do with your situation, but I can see how upsetting it is to you and I'm truly sorry you're having to go through what you're going through. This apology is pure gold for sales people or those savvy customer service reps that need to turn a raging consumer into a customer for life by diffusing a volatile situation.

These apologies are free and they work! Simple words that take responsibility, acknowledge impact and/or express empathy, can diffuse anger, sooth hurts and smooth ruffled feathers.

I encourage you to give the Professional Apology a spin. See if there are circumstances where you need to step past your childhood version of 'sorry' and step into a more grown-up version of fence mending.

2008-03-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

The US Presidential elections are heating up. As I write this, Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama are racing towards the Democratic National Convention, neck -n- neck. There is no doubt that this is an historic competition for the hearts and votes of the American public. Most political analysts agree that, in terms of policy at least, there is very little that separates these two Presidential wanna-bees. But, in practical terms... their approach to the race is worlds apart.

Setting politics aside for a moment, I think there are priceless lessons in change leadership being modeled by these orators every night for us on CNN. Washington Post columnist E.J.Dionne Jr. says of Hilary, "she has answers to hard questions, but he (Barack) has the one answer that voters hunger for: He offers himself as the vehicle for creating a new political movement."

Barack Obama speaks of hope, and hope is the one thing that prompts people to believe that change is possible. George Packer spoke of listening to Barack speak to the crowds this way, " Within minutes, I couldn't recall a single thing he had said, and the speech dissolved into pure feeling ...which stayed with me for days." There's something fascinating going on here.

What's happening isn't new. It's been said that when Cicero, the Roman statesman, lawyer, political theorist and philosopher spoke, the crowds declared, "How well he spoke." But when Demosthenes, a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens spoke, the crowds exclaimed, 'Let us march!"

How many executive announcements about some company change have you sat through where the content was - the company, blah, blah, blah, or quality and profits, blah, blah, blah? And, how did these factual, structured pronouncements make you feel?

Ok, so what lessons can we take from the drama that's playing out on the world stage? Here's what I see:

People need substance, but the facts are seldom enough to inspire people to act
People are hungry for hope - at work and in their personal lives
You don't have to have all the answers to inspire confidence and propel people to action
Real engagement is an activity of the heart

Whether the thrill of what's possible will trump a battle cry of, having answers to the tough questions remains to be seen. What we know for sure is that how you communicate is at least as important as what you communicate when it comes to engaging people's hearts and minds.

How are your change communication skills? Are you compelling? Is your message to your family, team or organization filled with hope?

If you want to bring your change communications to the next level, call me; I just might be able to help.

Are You Sure That Will Work?

2008-02-05T09:54:00.000-05:00

Have you ever tried to introduce an idea at work only to have your co-workers say things like, 'That won't work here." Or," we tried that in 2004 and it didn't work then - so it isn't going to work now."

Sound familiar? Sure it does. That kind of response is based on, what I believe to be, a faulty premise. At the heart of this kind of thinking is a belief that goes something like this; if you've already tried something and it didn't work, don't bother trying it again. Sounds good, but it's simply not true.

The fallacy of that reasoning was so clearly demonstrated in the 1978 movie Same Time Next Year. The plot involves Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn's characters who meet by chance at a remote, romantic inn during dinner. Although both are married to other people, they end up spending the night together. They are wildly attracted to each other and agree that, although they are married, they will get together on the same weekend each year after that.

Each new scene of the movie opens with them arriving at the inn each successive year, always staying in the same room. They never miss a year, and every few years they seem to take on new personas. One year, Alda's character is buttoned-up corporate; stiff and angry, while Burstyn's character has just gone back to university (in the 60's) and is radical in both fashion and philosophy. A few years later Ellen has started a business and has taken on a touch, 'take-no-prisoners' approach to life. That same year Alda confesses to having gone through personal therapy and has morphed into a softer, more open-minded version of his former self.

Each year they have to adjust and re-acquaint themselves with the 'new' people they've become. They manage to make the adjustments and continue to find enough common ground between them to sustain the relationship for twenty-six years.

It's fascinating to see these two characters come back to the same hotel room, walk the same beach, eat at the same diner and yet be so very different year after year. It speaks to something fundamental about change, that is; the same place, same activities and even the same intent DO NOT equal the same result. Why - because, things change.

Alda and Burstyn's characters changed, they grew; their capacity for love, acceptance, awareness, their tolerance levels, perspectives, family configurations, skills, circumstances and motivators changed from year to year. What they wanted out of life, and their clandestine relationship, changed. All of those shifts contributed to the end result of the weekend being different. At times it was pure lust, on other weekends there were times of deep emotional sharing. One year Alda even delivered Burstyn's baby. I know - Hollywood.

The principle is this; you or your team or organization may have tried something before, but before is not now. You are different, your customer is different, the market has shifted, skill sets have changed and even the will of the people to succeed may be different.

So, don't throw away an idea just because you or others have tried it before. This time, this year may just be the year it works!

What Surprised You In 2007?

2008-01-08T09:51:00.001-05:00

What surprised you in 2007? What did you do that was different, new or novel to the way you usually do it? And, what did you turn your undivided attention to last year? Whatever it was you changed last year may hold a key to what you will be able to change this year.

Dr. Norman Doidge, in his book The Brain That Changes Itself - a fascinating review of brain research over the past fifty years - confirms what motivational experts have touted for decades - that our brains are plastic, not rigid machines, and can learn and unlearn almost anything. Our flexible brains change with every encounter we have, every thought we hold on to and every new experience we engage in. We construct 'brain maps' for particular behaviours and, when we want to stop that behaviour or start a new one, we must take the time to create a new 'map' that sends and receives new stimuli that foster new choices and behaviours. Good news for would-be changers!

But, there is a catch of sorts. Apparently new brain maps require three things to alter themselves significantly enough to either erase old patterns or create new ones. The stimuli that create new and improved maps must be:

Compelling: We don't change what we don't want to change. That is, in order for our brain to take us seriously enough to go to all the trouble of changing itself, it (we) must first believe that what we want to change is indeed worthy of the effort. Remember when parents and teachers used to say, 'now pay attention, this is important'? Apparently that's just the kind of heads-up we need to give ourselves if we want to alter our thinking and ultimately our behaviour.

Surprising or Novel: Our brains like to create maps for responding to situations and then run down the same path over and over. It makes us feel safe, calm and sure of our next step. So, if we want to effect a change, we need to jolt our old map into pliability by giving it something it doesn't expect instead of the same old, same old. For example, if you want to stop gossiping at work you might splash water on your face when you find yourself telling tales. A bit drastic you say? Ok, what about recording what you say for a week and play it back to see how rumors sound coming out of your own mouth. That mental slap in the face might just be what the old gossip brain map would find surprising enough to consider switching to a kinder, gentler communication style.

Focused: Simply put, you can't just cruise into new or out of old patterns. Research has shown us that even stroke victims can regain use of cognitive ability and lifeless limbs if new mental maps are created. But, it takes concentration and real effort if a mental map is going to re-organize itself to respond in new ways. So if you want to be a different kind of person this year at home or work, you will have to apply yourself diligently to the task. I know, I know, you were hoping I would say that you can just dream your way to a better you - we all want that. And, it's bunk. Your brain 'No Can Do'.

So, are you ready for a change? Help yourself by making your change compelling, surprising and focused for success?

If I can be helpful to you in achieving your goals this year, it would be my pleasure.

Do You Believe in Santa?

2007-12-05T14:47:00.001-05:00

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like, you guessed it - Christmas! What do you believe about this season? Some would say that, it's the most wonderful time of the year. These happy folks point to a celebration of God's goodness in sending joy, peace and love to we mortals, via the baby Jesus.

Looking around at the rising commercialism, rampant greed and frazzled families, straining to have the Hallmark Christmas, others would say that it's the worst possible time of the year.

Beliefs are powerful. Whatever you believe about the season will dictate how you think, feel and ultimately respond to the season's claims and activities. If you see this time of year as magical; a time when giving takes on new meaning and families reach out to each other, then those beliefs will prompt you to soften your judgments, open your wallet and arms to those you love and those in need around you.

Our beliefs serve as our mental operating systems. They kick in whenever we're faced with choices. Should we - shouldn't we? Do we - don't we? Our belief systems are in place by the time we are about 5 years old, and - for many - are never challenged. Our beliefs are a composite of our experiences and the sense we make of the things we have seen, done and had done to us. As small children - we live life, and then draw conclusions. If we were lucky, and life was good from birth to kindergarten, then our beliefs tend to be positive and life affirming. If we spent our formative years with negative or hurtful influences, then we often decide that life is painful and people - and the things they say - aren't to be trusted. Even if those people are Santa.

What do you believe? All of life's decisions get passed through the ole belief system and we need to dust ours off to make sure the beliefs we're operating on today are relevant, accurate and make sense for us now that we are adults.

If you can't change what you believe- you can't change! Let me leave you with a challenge. Take a look at what you believe about this season and ask yourself if what you believe needs updating. Then challenge yourself to learn, or participate in, one new thing this season that you've never done before or don't know much about. Then stand back and watch your belief system upgrade itself!

Got A Dog?

2007-11-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

Ok dog lovers, take a look at this face! Isn’t she adorable?

Now, further to my comments in the e-zine I want to acknowledge that not all the Dr. Spock or Ceasar Millan ideas are faulty. Certainly we want to acknowledge people when they do what you need them to do at work. I just see too many employees that have no healthy respect for their manager’s authority, or sense of obligation when it comes to the unacceptable.

What do you think? What do you see where you work? Have we become – for whatever reasons – too lenient with bad behaviour at work?

Coaching Clinic for Health Care Leaders

2007-10-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

Today’s health care environment demands that individuals, and their organizations, perform at higher levels and with greater speed than ever before.

Peggy Grall & The Hire Net.Work is pleased to invite you and your colleagues to an advanced communications and coaching skills program for health care organizations that are committed to challenging their leaders and managers to raise their standards, engage their teams, and improve their leadership effectiveness.

This dual component program consists of a two-day workshop (The Coaching Clinic®) with options for either an additional three months of individual coaching for attendees or group teleclasses. In the workshop, participants are given a new tool chest of coaching skills and over the following three months if the participants exercise the option(s), they are coached through the process of integrating their new skills into their own style and work place role. Coaching

Clinic Participants will:

Discover coaching as a communication and leadership model.
Develop competency in core coaching skills that can be implemented immediately, through experiential learning and peer practice sessions.
Understand and apply the Coaching Conversation Model® - an intentional conversation process that provides structure and creates conversation with tangible outcomes.
Experience one-on-one leader coaching to use the skills learned in the workshop with each individual participant’s style of leadership and communication.

Click here for more information or to register.

The Journey of Change: Don't Take the Wrong Path

2007-09-28T12:29:00.000-04:00

When business leaders and HR executives think about managing change in an organization, they often focus on the new process or system being implemented, the communication regarding
that change, and the management of the overall project.

This can be a big mistake, however. True change management means recognizing and dealing with the journey of the change for you and your staff. Over 70 percent of the time, mergers
and acquisitions fail to achieve their projected economic and market share gains, due to employee resistance. You can put buildings and IT systems together, but putting people together is a challenge. A transition plan needs to be in place before the change is started. The most important work you [HR executives and senior leadership] do is up front. It starts with you— how ready are you and the senior executives for change to occur? If you are not ready, your employees certainly won’t be...

Read more of this feature article in the September issue of "Best Practices in HR" published by Business & Legal Reports Inc.

Company Magazine

2007-09-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

I’m really excited about a new venture I’m involved in. TODAY (Monday September 17th, 2007) is the official launch of a new publication called Company Magazine!!!

This print and on-line publication is for Canadian women in business. I’m part of the editorial team of writers and my area to write about is Change. The editor of the magazine is Anne Day, former editor of Today’s Parent. Other contributing writers are Christine Desforges - Art Design, Jaclyn Desforges - Youth Perspective, Sue Edwards - Work-Life, Anne Peace - Relationships and Patti Lovett-Reid - Money.

The magazine is focused on professional, entrepreneurial and would-be entrepreneur women in the GTA. It will be distributed quarterly to 7,000 women. Take a look at see what you think. I welcome ideas for my column on change.

Super Nanny Saves the Day!

2007-09-14T10:35:00.000-04:00

Have you seen "Super Nanny", the popular TV series where a ‘real’ English nanny comes to the rescue of distraught parents?

Week after week the nanny smiles as she enters house after house of screaming children and totally dysfunctional parents. The kids are a mess, and the parents - who are the real mess - have all reached their boiling point. You can just imagine these families dialing 911 out of sheer exhaustion.

It’s Super Nanny to the rescue! She sweeps into the situation, disciplines everyone, organizes workable programs, encourages the parents to become "real parents", and in her no-nonsense way - she puts the house right again.

By the end of the program civility is restored and there is hope that the "spoiled" children and irresponsible parents are now on the path to a more healthy life for everyone. Even the children want the Super Nanny to stay with them as the camera fades away and she drives down the street in her tiny British car.

What’s Super Nanny’s secret? I think its discipline mixed with real attention. Oh, not the paddle and punish type of discipline, but a steady, consistent, firm version of rules, schedules and acceptable behaviour. She sets expectations and then lovingly stands behind them. Simple as that.

Sometimes leading people through change is like raising children. They want boundaries, clear expectations and loving attention from those in charge.

What do you think?

Bio Terrorism / Disaster Education & Awareness Month

2007-07-10T16:06:00.000-04:00

July is Bio Terrorism/Disaster Education & Awareness Month.

What does that actually mean for busy business types? It means that terrorism and crisis has become so commonplace that they have decided to give the whole situation its own month!

I suspect that they want to encourage people to take some time out to think about and educate themselves as to how they would respond in the event of a terrorist attack or crisis that has the potential to threaten life and/or significantly disrupt work.

Are you prepared? Would you know what to do if a 9/11 type event happened at your work? And, if you’re a leader, how would you handle yourself, respond to your people and their families and ….and here’s an important one for senior leadership folks….would you know how to handle the media if they came knocking?

The best readiness is in the preparation….if you want to get ready…let’s talk.

What Inspires You?

2007-07-05T16:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've sat through a speech, movie or play that has left me motivated to be more than I am; to take up a cause and fight against the odds. Amazing Grace, the movie, has done just that. I don't often cry at movies, I did at this one. I cried because it reminded me that the impossible really is possible. And that 'never giving up' isn't just a slogan - it's the way important things get done. Mostly, it has reminded me that one person really can make a difference.

Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21 and on his way to a successful political career, William Wilberforce, over the course of two decades, took on the English establishment, eventually persuading them to end the barbaric selling of humans for profit, at a huge cost to their business enterprises. Asking plantation owners to do without slave labor would be the equivalent to asking U.S. business today to operate without petroleum.

Wilberforce, almost single handedly, ended the slave trade in England. After a 20-year struggle against overwhelming opposition in Parliament, which the film artfully portrays, Wilberforce saw the end of British slave trading when, after numerous attempts, his 1807 abolition bill passed by a large majority. Twenty six years later, just three days before his death, slavery was abolished across all British Colonies as well. And, ultimately, British abolition had a profound effect on the conflict over slavery that led to the American Civil War, and the eventual end to the practice of slavery in the US.

William Wilberforce's example has inspired me to think about transformation. I recommend you go see the movie - and take your Kleenex. What about you? What cause, situation or circumstance in your life, community, or sphere of influence needs transforming? Does it seem impossible?

The motto for the US Navy Sea Bees in World War II was, "The difficult we do right away; the impossible takes a little longer."

What 'impossible' task will you take on this year? What skills do you have that some cause, project, family or non-profit organization are just crying out for? And, what are you willing to never give up on?

Paris Hilton

2007-06-14T15:57:00.000-04:00

Paris Hilton is a changed woman….well, maybe not. Hollywood and CNN are fond of sensational stories and the idea that Paris – or anyone – goes from being self-centered, attention seeking and addicted to a role model for young girls in a matter of days, is the stuff fantasies are made of.

Don’t get me wrong, people change – and sometimes in dramatic, life altering ways. And there’s nothing like a stay at the county’s finest to motivate a person to begin the change process. Significant change often begins with an ‘ah-ha’ moment; a point in time where our behaviour collides with our world and we ‘see’ what we had been ignoring. But rarely is a dramatic event enough to ensure lasting change.

So, what does Paris (or anyone) who wants to make good on their promise to change their ways do after the shock of the ‘initial sensitizing event’ has faded? Hard work. Lots of hard personal work. There are specific steps to making significant personal change. She can use her jail stay to remind her of the pain of going back to her old ways….but it will take more than that to keep her on the path to a sober, more balanced life.

Transition Poker - Where Change Theory Meets Real Play

2007-06-04T13:40:00.000-04:00

When was the last time you took time out to play? Child development professionals tell us that, for children, play is their work; and that children learn and retain the most while playing. Forgive me, but I think the same is true of adults.

Well, there's a new game in town! It's called, Transition Poker™ - and I created it! After spending several years with hundreds of business folks tasked with leading significant change in their organizations, I decided it was time for some fun! Transition Poker™ is a change leadership training games based on solid change theory coupled with the fast-pace, high-stakes atmosphere of a friendly game of poker. Players are forced to grapple with their choices and strategies for leading change, bet on their hunches and deal with hostile cards.

Transition Poker™ is part of my Leader's Summit program, a comprehensive learning opportunity for those individuals and teams facing organizational change.
The Transition Poker™ Workshop is exciting and interactive and teaches foundational concepts and provides tools for any group to master the power of the 6 Success Factors for leading successful organizational change.

The Transition Poker™ Workshop is composed of:

JCI People Change Process – a solid foundation as to how people move through change and how leaders can motivate, model and monitor change success

The 6 Success Factors for making significant change – an understanding of the importance of each factor and how to compensate for missing elements

The experiential, real-play of the Transition Poker™ game engages players to create the best options, bet on their success and defend their choices to colleagues

The Change Style Index - understanding your Personal Change Style can help you decide what you need to be successful during a time of transition.

A Change Map – creating the action steps necessary for a group to bring change success into their organization.

For more information on Transition Poker or Peggy's other Change Leadership workshops pelase visit www.JustChangeIt.com