Leading change is a three-step thing

At a retailer's staff forum on innovation recently, the team was encouraged to 

• envisage
• think big and
• imagine

These are all such visual, thinking and 'possibility' words. It was all about what they could 'see'.

To survive and thrive in the challenging retail environment, this team had to change how they were working, how they were responding and how they were evolving the business. 

That's a lot of change. 

Add to that the usual change processes of new technology, systems, and other ways of working that go on across the business. 

For this team, change had to be a three-step thing. But it wasn't the boring three-step of: 

1 .analyse

2. think

3. change. 

Dan and Chip Heath in their book on change 'Switch' report on research from Kotter and Cohen where this approach is mighty popular, yet super ineffective at creating, driving and embedding change. 

Folks... the dance steps have to 'change'. 

The three-step thing that will work is:

1. see

2. feel

3. change.

Am I getting all emotional on you here? Well, analytical stuff works best when things are known and the future is clear. 

But in the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment we all operate in, often the future is... out of focus, blurry. 

See, Feel, Change is about seeing evidence that gives you a feeling and from there you can change. You can help guide people through their responses to that feeling about what they've seen. Show people what's going on. Let them see how things could be. How do they feel about that? That's when change will come. That's when people get on board, buy in, sign up and advocate for the change. 

Otherwise you're just dancing in the dark!

Read more in Dan & Chip Heath's book 'Switch' here

Getting Back to Joy

How do you Build a Workplace People Love?

It's a time of year when 'joy to the world' and 'peace and goodwill to others' is seen on baubles and banners and heard in songs, hymns and cards. 

Many teams wind up 2014, with an eye on 2015 and breathe a sigh of relief at the year's end.

We often see more human interaction at this time of year; more support, more engagement, more concern - particularly amid tragic events or fearful challenges.

We are, above all, human. This message was loud and clear at the Above All Human innovation conference in Melbourne last week. No matter the work we do, whatever the field or sector, it still involves people, is for people and has to do with people. Can we bring more of this engagement, support, concern.... joy.... to the workplace?

Richard Sheridan of Menlo Innovations, thinks we can. We can build workplaces people love... if we just add joy. Richard says we do important work. So joy matters. And the company he's a part of welcomes dogs, babies, conversations, (no cubicles or pods by the way), but there's plenty of book sharing (without having to 'sign out' which book you've taken) and so many other sweet tools that make work human and joyous. 

If you can get back to the joy you felt when you were a little kid, you would be:

• doing the work you love, with people you like, the way you want (a key element of Thought Leaders)
• experimenting
• trusting the team
• flexible
• embracing learning.

To build a workplace people love, keep out of chaos. That's the land of not getting anything done!

Bureaucracy isn't much fun either. Too much red tape.

Between chaos and bureaucracy is ... structure. This structure is based on human relationships. 
It's about building an open and collaborative culture and then you can create the environment that will fit that culture.

Allow support, empathy, and encourage creativity; let in some joy and you and your team will do great work... and love the people and the place and the fact we are all... human.

The Accelerated Meeting Framework

'Everybody in the house put your hands up'... who would prefer that meetings went on l-o-n-g-e-r  than they already do?

And keep your hands up if you'd like those meetings to achieve even less than they do now?

Urgh - so many meetings are just a time, energy, mood and productivity waste that we can't even be bothered putting our hands up!

But what to do? How to keep it short, sharp, focused and driving towards outcomes?

Try my Accelerated Meeting Framework:

1. Start with the background - no interruptions, just set the scene of why we're here, what we're gonna do and the facts and data that inform where we're at now. 

2. Then open it up - stand back and let the talking and opinions fly. Let people have their say, put forward their viewpoint and get it off their chest. Be sure to make visual and visible note of the key things people are contributing. Keep it to the topic, share the contribution and 'air time' around. Beware, this is where things can go around in circles - summarise what the main views are. 

3. Generate ideas and opportunities, possibilities and potential. List them and visually capture them so people can see. Narrow down the ones that are quick wins, easy to implement, partially done (see my blog on Stop Starting, Start Finishing) or will bring a great return on investment. 

4. List the actions that are to be followed up and implemented. Put names and dates next to those. Make it visual and visible, so people can see what you've worked through and where you've got to. 

Done. 

The success of meetings, workshops and strategy sessions is judged on what is done, what is achieved and what progress is made.

You're responsible for leading a team to great progress. 

Use visuals with your meeting and you'll reduce meeting time by 25%.

Use my Accelerated Meeting Framework and you'll get through more, quicker. 

How NOT to start your presentation on change

Senior leader... standing at the front of a room, about to announce some key information on a change and transformation piece of work. 

The room is hushed. Everyone is waiting to hear why the change is happening and how it will affect them. You know the old 'WIIFM' 'What's in it for me'. You've got to hook them in first, before you even begin to blab on about how it will roll out and when it will happen. 

So the leader begins... and the first words out of their mouth were: 

'I have seven slides to present'.

Yep, that was it. The number of slides. The number of times they were going to 'click' the clicker to advance the PowerPoint deck of pre-prepared numbness. Seven times. 

THAT was the most important thing?

That's what you wanted to lead with?

That was going to frame the change, the message, the impact?

The nervousness, uncertainty or anxiety was leaking out of this leader and their subconscious or unconscious was speaking: 'just get through these seven slides'. 

The team thinking - 'oh great, seven slides.'

After some wise counsel on how this leader could design, communicate and facilitate change through the rest of this national rollout, the start of the subsequent presentations changed.

This leader started with a story, or a statistic, or a statement. It was inspiring, engaging and it captured attention.

They didn't start with the number of slides. Not any more. 

Know your message.

Know your team and their 'what's in it for me'.

Lead with that. Reinforce that.

Share that and be passionate about that.

Not how many slides you have. (zzzz)

Fixed or Agile - Which one are you?

You were born with an agile mindset – a way of thinking that says ‘I can grow and learn and be challenged. I can improve.’ Think crawling, walking, talking, reading, riding a bike. So much to be challenged by. 

But somewhere along the way, you might get derailed and think that you either ‘have it’ in this life or you don’t. (But that my friend is a ‘fixed mindset’.)

Linda Rising presented at the Agile Singapore conference recently and (my visual notes of her keynote above) remind me how her messages about the Agile Mindset were inspiring, relevant and … a tap or slap on the shoulder. There are some vital characteristics that are required to make work work in today's competitive environment. 

She asks: 'who told you what you can and can’t do'… and warns us to ‘watch out what you’re thinking’.

An agile mindset is one that is looking for opportunities to grow, learn, experiment and improve. Failure simply gives us some information.

Our mindset need not be fixed; this agility is ideal for the volatile world we live in today. 

Our teams, customers, clients and organisations need us to be agile, flexible, adaptive, responsive. It’s through challenge that you grow.

Look at where you might be fixed in your thinking. How might an agile mindset see it differently? What could you experiment with, test out or be challenged by?

Go…. flex, bend, shift and grow. Keep challenging your own view of things.