How's the Weather?

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?

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

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