Merry Christmas To All!

Peace, Joy, Hope...

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Treat Yourself to Musical Excellence

We all appreciate excellence, regardless of the arena in which it's performed.

These guys made me wish for more days of Christmas!

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Inhibiting Change: Will We Grow Businesses in a Risk-Avoidance Culture?

This article is the thirty-fourth in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

Changing Our Thoughts About Risk

When does security become risky?

When it inhibits people from learning how to successfully deal with the inherent risks of life.

"Risk-taking" is a criterion for hiring and promotion at many companies. We're not talking 'skydivers without parachutes'; we're looking for people who know how to calculate the odds and shout, "Let's go!" when they think the benefits outweigh the consequences of the risk.

But what if the ability to make those kinds of calculations is lost?

I believe that the possibility exists for this to happen.

The source?: Well-intended-but-misguided adults who believe they can engineer every detail of their child's safety. Apparently I'm not alone.

In the U.K, former government adviser Tim Gill has published No Fear: Growing Up In a Risk-Averse Society. It's even available as a free download if you click on the link. Here is a brief editorial review:

"It offers insights into the roles of parents, teachers, carers, the media, safety agencies and the Government and exposes the contradictions inherent in current attitudes and policies, revealing how risk averse behavior ironically can damage and endanger children’s lives.

In conclusion, No Fear advocates a philosophy of resilience that will help counter risk aversion and strike a better balance between protecting children from genuine threats and giving them rich, challenging opportunities through which to learn and grow."

Will Peter Pan Fly As A Member of Your Team?

Psychologist Dan Kiley defined ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ in 1983.

The ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ affects people who do not want or feel unable to grow up, people with the body of an adult but the mind of a child. They don’t know how to or don’t want to stop being children and start being mothers or fathers.

According to the University of Granada, the syndrome is not currently considered a psychopathology, given the World Health Organization has not recognized it as a psychological disorder. However, an increasingly larger number of adults are presenting emotionally immature behaviors in Western society. They are unable to grow up and take on adult responsibilities. They even dress up and enjoy themselves as teenagers when they are over 30 years old.

Humbelina Robles Ortega, professor of the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment at the university and an expert in emotional disorders, warns that the overprotection by parents can lead children to develop the Peter Pan Syndrome, given “it usually affects dependent people who have been overprotected by their families and haven’t developed the necessary skills to confront life.” The ‘Peter Pans’ of present society “see the adult world as very problematic and glorify adolescence, which is why they want to stay in that state of privilege.”

Peter Pan Syndrome can affect both sexes, but it appears more often among men. Some characteristics of the disorder are the inability of individuals to take on responsibilities, to commit themselves or to keep promises, excessive care about the way they look and personal well-being and their lack of self-confidence, even though they don’t seem to show it and actually come across as exactly the opposite.

Accountability As Adults

The business world revels in "accountability." And we're always on the look-out for accountable people to join our organizations.

But as adults--parents, aunts, and uncles--we are also accountable for building the next generation of responsible adults.

Funny thing about security. Kids do feel secure enough to take some risks when there's a safety net there. That safety net is a parent or trusted adult who is present.

A full schedule of structured activities, orchestrated sleepovers, play days, and safety seats won't outperform a single afternoon of trying to leap across a stream with mom or dad--missing the other side--and finding out you both survived to laugh about it. Then trying it together until you make it.

Risk-taking and personal responsibility aren't a product of outsourcing.

Neither is the next generation of leaders.

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Change: Use the Margaret and Ruth Principle

This article is the thirty-third in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

CBS radio newsman  Charles Osgood is a favorite of mine.

On the Osgood File program, he tells the story of two ladies who lived in a convalescent center. Each had suffered an incapacitating stroke. Margaret's stroke restricted the use of her left side, while Ruth struggled with the use of her right side. Both of these women were accomplished pianists. Both had given up the hope of ever playing again.

The director of the center decided that there was a solution. So he sat them down side-by-side at a piano and gave them solo pieces to play together. They did.

The result: beautiful music, new friendship, and a sense of hope.

If you're making a business change, is there something that you are habitually (and, therefore, unconsciously) assigning to one person that can better be accomplished by the cooperative talents of two?

The results in business-speak: Better performance, increased collaboration, and a new future.

And as Joe Raasch suggests, this is truly a case of the right-hand knowing what the left hand is doing.

What do you think?

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Change: What Do You Need to Eliminate?

This article is the thirty-second in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

Walt Disney , the legendary film maker, was quite ruthless in editing anything that got in the way of a story's pacing.

Ward Kimball, an animator for Snow White, recalled working 240 days on a 4-1/2 minute sequence in which the dwarfs made soup for Snow White and almost destroyed the kitchen in the process. Disney thought it was really funny, but decided the scene stopped the flow of the picture.

So out it went.

When the film of your life is shown, will it be as great as it might be?

A lot will depend on the number of 'good' things eliminated in order to make room for the great ones.

Wow. A lighter load on the way to a more fulfilling destination.

Are you willing to consider that kind of a change?

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Freedom to Change: How Big Is Your Company's Aquarium?

This article is the thirty-first in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

I live close to a wonderful aquarium. Not the kind with goldfish and guppies; the kind with sharks which, according to the director, are the most popular attraction for visitors.

Kids love them; adults are amazed by them; everyone is in awe of them.

But did you know that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it's size will remain proportional to the aquarium?

Sharks can be fully mature yet only 6 inches long.

But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet.

How Big Is Your Organization's "Change Aquarium"?

3 Things To Consider Now:

If you want your people want to Swim With The Sharks, then build a fish tank that's the right size.

• Personality Traits: Instead of running endless workshops with the (un)expressed purpose of changing who people are, give them the assignments and time needed to grow into who they can become.

• Career path: The woman who ran your entire marketing organization just might be the best candidate for Senior VP of HR. Who wouldn't want an experienced leader with proven results in organization, communication, planning, and customer focus?

• Hire a new school of fish: If your org-quarium is the right size, you'll have plenty of room for people who are different thinkers, have different backgrounds, and offer a totally different take on how things could be done. Just don't let the old sharks eat the new ones.

These aren't theoretical suggestions. I've been involved in making each one happen. They work. And they will work for you.

If you want to explore more on Change and Developing People, give these a look:

• Three Sure-fire Steps to Developing Talent

• Do You Know This About Talent?

Bonus Link: If your talent or aspirations include writing--or if you need someone with experience to help you create and connect-- visit Nettie Hartsock. She knows what she's talking about and has the track record to back it up. Willie Nelson thinks she's good, too.

 

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Change and Transitions: 5 Things They Forgot To Tell You

This article is the thirtieth in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

Decisions get made. It's time to start.

The Goal is clear. There is a picture of what the end should look like.

Now we just have to "do it."

Some don't make it...

.. .individually or organizationally.

Given that there are entire industries built around "doing it"--continuous improvement, change management, life coaching-- there must be some trick to that whole in between area. If you are involved in any kind of a change, here are 5 tips that you can take to the bank. (Ignoring them may put you in the collection agency).

1. Language matters.

"We're going to make a transition from___to____" impacts the brain a lot better than "We're going to change."

(Honestly, I don't want to change--do you? But I don't have any problem making a transition).

2. Friendships matter.

Be willing to talk and be willing to listen. When things change at home or in your family, you have coffee and conversation with friends. Why? It's cathartic. And you don't feel alone. Changes at work are no different.

3. Grace matters.

Transitions and change imply, by definition, that people are trying something for the first time. When your little child tried out her first steps and fell after the third one, you didn't offer a performance appraisal. You hugged her, made a big fuss, took a video, and called the grandparents.

Offer the same to adults who are trying something for the first time. Truth be told, they are feeling like kids at that moment.

Note: I'd avoid the hug and the video; it's your call on whether to phone the grandparents.

4. Accountability matters.

This isn't opposed to numbers 2 or 3. Accountability is an act of deep friendship. Friends don't let friends drive drunk. They also don't let friends do things--or avoid doing things--that are hurting their careers.

5. Small wins matter.

Make an example of anyone or any result that approximates the longer term ideal. Do it often.

If you wait until everyone gets it perfect, there won't be a celebration. There may not be a reason for it.

That's why continuous improvement is called continuous improvement.

What Are Your Best Tips?

I know the readers here are involved in changes of all types. Weigh in with your favorite transitional tips and suggestions and we'll add them to the mix! (With attribution, of course. See #5).

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What About The Office Party?

I'm tired of reading about the pitfalls, legal implications, political correctness, and joylessness of Christmas (Holiday) parties in the workplace.

If it's really such a hassle, don't have one. Give everyone a gift card with a photo of your smiling CEO wearing a Combo SantaHat/Yarmulke/NubianHeadgear/Keffiyeh and move on.

But if you're going to have a party, then have a party!

It is possible, according to none other than recent party attendee Stanley Bing at Fortune.

Here are my thoughts (not rules, darn it. If you're going to have a party, knock off the rules).

1. A party is an opportunity for people to socialize and celebrate. Opportunity is the operative word. If it's a "gotcha" ("Harvey didn't show up for the party; send him to Fargo this winter to do outdoor facility maintenance"), it's not a party.

Oops. I heard you. "Steve, you don't get it. I work for a big company that has a lady with her hair in a bun carrying an attendance clipboard and taking names. What can I do?"

No problem, holiday-oppressed worker bee. Thats exactly why this is  All Things Workplace. You need the official Holiday Party Excuse Generator. Answer a few questions and you'll have a beautifully written excuse that can be emailed to the host(ess) in question.

2. You are personally responsible for your happiness if you choose to go. Really. Happiness is a choice.

In the event that others are not as personally responsible as you, try to avoid dumping on them. Especially if "them" is your boss and you have been personally responsible for consuming the entire supply of Grey Goose. Note the delightful, festive give-and-take between the employee below and her allegedly cheap (soon-to-be-former) boss, Jim:

3. Bosses: Follow "The Natural Laws of Parties for Leaders" from Wally Bock

If you are the boss, then I suggest you follow the suggestions in Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Letter.

This is the single newsletter that I read clear-through every week. Why? Wally always has something useful that isn't in his blog. And, I can read it in one pane of my email reader. My recommendation: Give yourself a free gift and subscribe. Here's a thought from Wally on holiday parties:

The Natural Laws of Parties for Leaders

It's holiday party time. And, if you are an "official" leader, you need to pay attention to the natural laws of parties and leadership.

Natural Law 1: The party changes when you arrive. It changes again when you leave. What you see is not the real party. It's "the party when you're there."

Natural Law 2: You're still the boss. Do not suffer from the delusion that you're just one of the team. You're not. Everything you say or do will influence the people who work for you, just like every other day.

Natural Law 3: The people at the party would rather hang out with their friends and relax a bit than listen to speeches from you or anyone else. Let the party be their party. If you must speak, consider a two minute time limit. Thank people for their contributions this year, wish them a good time, and shut up.

Natural Law 4: That odds are high that at least one person who works for you will do something really stupid during the party. (Ed. Note: Please see video above). The odds go up with every alcoholic drink. Consider this a good reason to leave early.

Natural Law 5: You are not immune from Natural Law 4. An even better reason to leave early.

Let us know about the parties that went really well. I'm thinking they are actually in the majority and, therefore, don't make "the news".

Visit the wonderful photo source: www.davidfawcett.co.uk

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How About Some Good Reading?

Thanks to Troy Worman from OrbitNow! , there's a new blog meme recognizing outstanding bloggers. You'll find a breadth and depth of good reading here.

(And thanks, Troy, for including All Things Workplace).

1. 100 Bloggers
2. 37 Days
3. 3i
4. 43 Folders
5. A Clear Eye
6. A Daily Dose of Architecture
7. The Agonist
8. All Things Workplace
   
9. All This Chittah Chattah
10. Angela Maiers
11. Antonella Pavese
12. Arizona High Tech
13. A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye
14. Badger Blogger
    
15. Bailey WorkPlay
16. Being Peter Kim
17. Brett Trout
18. Best of Mother Earth
19. Beyond Madison Avenue
    
20. Biz and Buzz
21. Bizhack
22. BizSolutions Plus
23. Blog Business World
24. Bloggers Showroom
25. Blogging for Business
    
26. Blogher
27. Blog Till You Drop!
28. Bob Sutton
29. Brain Based Business
30. Brains on Fire
    
31. Brand Autopsy
32. The Brand Builder Blog
33. Branding and Marketing
34. Branding Strategy
35. Brand is Language
    
36. BrandSizzle
37. Brandsoul
38. Bren Blog
    
39. Business Evolutionist
40. Business Management Life
41. Business Pundit
42. Business Services, Etc.
    
43. Busy Mom
44. Buzz Canuck
45. Buzz Customer
46. Buzzoodle
    
47. Career Intensity
48. Carpe Factum
49. Casual Fridays
50. Change Your Thoughts
51. Chaos Scenario
    
52. Cheezhead
53. Chief Happiness Officer
54. Chris Brogan
55. Christine Kane
56. Church of the Customer
    
57. Circaspecting
58. CK’s Blog
59. Come Gather Round
60. Community Guy
    
61. Confident Writing
62. Conversation Agent
63. Converstations
64. Cooking for Engineers
65. Cool Hunting
66. Core77
67. Corporate Presenter
68. Crayon Writer
69. Creating a Better Life
70. Creating Passionate Users
71. Creative Think
72. CRM Mastery
73. Crossroads Dispatches
74. Cube Rules
75. Culture Kitchen
76. Customers Are Always
77. Customer Service Experience
78. Customer Service Reader
79. Customers Rock!
80. Custserv
81. Craig Harper
82. Daily Fix
83. Dawud Miracle
84. Dave Olson
85. David Airey
86. David Maister
87. David S Finch
    
88. Design Your Writing Life
89. Digital Common Sense
90. Director Tom
91. Diva Marketing
92. Do You Q
93. Duct Tape Marketing
    
94. Empowerment 4 Life
95. The Engaging Brand
96. Essential Keystrokes
    
97. Every Dot Connects
98. Experience Architect
99. Experience Curve
100. Experience Matters
101. Extreme Leadership
102. Eyes on Living
103. Feld Thoughts
104. Flooring the Customer
     
105. Fouroboros
106. FutureLab
     
107. Genuine Curiosity
108. Glass Half Full
109. The Good Life
110. Great Circle
111. Greg Verdino’s Marketing Blog
112. Hee-Haw Marketing
     
113. Hello, My Name is BLOG
     
114. Holly’s Corner
     
115. Homeless Family
116. The Idea Dude
117. I’d Rather be Blogging
118. Influential Marketing
119. Innovating to Win
120. Inspiring & Empowering Lives
121. Instigator Blog
122. Jaffe Juice
123. Jibber Jobber
124. Joyful Jubilant Learning
125. Joy of Six
126. Kent Blumberg
127. Kevin Eikenberry
128. Learned on Women
129. Life Beyond Code
     
130. Lip-sticking
131. Listics
132. The Lives and Times
133. Live Your Best Life
134. Live Your Inspiration
135. Living Light Bulbs
136. Logical Emotions
     
137. Logic + Emotion
     
138. Make It Great!
139. Making Life Work for You
140. Management Craft
141. Managing with Aloha
142. The M.A.P. Maker
143. The Marketing Excellence Blog
144. Marketing Headhunter
145. Marketing Hipster
146. The Marketing Minute
147. Marketing Nirvana
148. Marketing Roadmaps
149. Marketing Through the Clutter
150. Mary Schmidt
151. Masey
152. The Media Age
153. Micropersuasion
154. Middle Zone Musings
155. Miss604
156. Moment on Money
157. Monk at Work
158. Monkey Bites
159. Movie Marketing Madness
     
160. Motivation on the Run
161. My 2 Cents
162. My Beautiful Chaos
     
163. Naked Conversations
164. Neat & Simple Living
165. New Age 2020
166. New Charm School
     
167. Next Up
168. No Man’s Blog
169. The [Non] Billable Hour
170. Note to CMO
171. Office Politics
172. Optimist Lab
173. The Origin of Brands
174. Own Your Brand
175. Pardon My French
176. Passion Meets Purpose
177. Pause
178. Peerless Professionals
     
179. Perfectly Petersen
180. Personal Branding
181. The Podcast Network
182. The Power of Choice
183. Practical Leadership
184. Presentation Zen
     
185. Priscilla Palmer
186. Productivity Goal
187. Pro Hip-Hop
188. Prosperity for You
     
189. Purple Wren
190. QAQnA
191. Qlog
192. Reveries
193. Rex Blog
194. Ririan Project
195. Rohdesign
196. Rothacker Reviews
197. Scott H Young
198. Search Engine Guide
199. Servant of Chaos
200. Service Untitled
201. Seth’s Blog
202. Shards of Consciousness
203. Shotgun Marketing
204. Simplenomics
205. Simplicity
     
206. Slacker Manager
207. Slow Leadership
208. Socially Adept
209. Social Media Marketing Blog
210. Spare Change
     
211. Spirit in Gear
     
212. Spooky Action
213. Steve’s 2 Cents
214. Strategic Design
215. Strength-based Leadership
216. StickyFigure
217. Studentlinc
218. Success Begins Today
219. Success Creeations
220. Success From the Nest
221. Successful Blog
222. Success Jolt
223. Talk to Strangers
224. Tammy Lenski
225. Tell Ten Friends
226. That Girl from Marketing
227. Think Positive!
228. This Girl’s Weblog
229. Thoughts & Philosophies
230. Tom Peters
231. Trust Matters
232. Verve Coaching
233. Viral Garden
234. Waiter Bell
235. Wealth Building Guy
236. What’s Next
237. Writers Notes
     
238. You Already Know this Stuff
     
239. Zen Chill

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Change: Building Conscious Competence, Part II of II

This article is the twenty-ninth in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

Building Conscious Competence, Part I began with: "Change is about learning."

Change also means learning about yourself, especially in relation to those around you.

Today, guest author Dr. Peter Vajda  sheds more light on personal change and shares how things tend to unfold in his groups.

---

In our group work, we look at our "issues" and explore how our "stuff" plays out in life, at work at home, and in relationship--for example, in the context of the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE). In the two examples we ended with yesterday, we openly explore how raising our level of self-awareness can affect the person I am in relationships at work. I other words, do I just "know about" the Kübler-Ross Emotional Change Cycle or do I actually enter into an empathetic, compassionate relationship with another person who is experiencing grief--even though I may not be able to change their circumstances?

Another Example: Helicopter Parents

We all know who they are.

But what about Helicopter Bosses?

In our group, there are three managers who are micro-managers. Initially for these men it was all about "getting things right." A deeper look, however, led to discovery of some unmet psycho-social-emotional needs that prevented them from leaving others alone. They found that these needs were rooted in some kind of

1. Insecurity

2. Need for control and power

3. Need for perfection

4. Need to be needed

Interfering and bothering other people was how they assuaged one or more of these needs at work and at home.

Our work is spiritual work. Not religious or proselytizing, but examining how we live our lives at work, at home, and even at play.

In the context of the workplace, we ask the question: "How do I look at life at work?" Then we may do an exercise where we write 15-20 adjectives or phrases that describe life at work. After that, it's a matter of exploring the threads that run through those items. Do the threads point to passion, purposefulness, challenge, growth; or, to war, battle, win-lose, and power/control, etc.,and why?

The overall intention of our work is to explore the "whole person"at work and at home in order to look at how we can bring our hearts and souls to work.Spiritual awareness is the changing of one's point of view. There is only one way to recognize progress in this arena: examine the progress in one's own outlook on life and to ask one's self:

• "How do I look at life?

• "Why do I look at life in that way?"

Our work--similar to that in this series on Change--is to support ourselves to make our sight clear enough to see if our outlook on life at work is conscious, self-aware, and mutually supportive for the good of the order.

---

I want to thank Peter for his time and willingness to provide real-life insights into the kind of personal development activities that business people are doing to impact the impact of their lives in the workplace and at home.

If you have questions or want to add a personal experience to the conversation, jot a note by clicking on "Comments" below.

And if you enjoyed this look into Change and Personal Development, I think you will also like:

Part I: "How'm I Doin'? Feedback, Relationships, and Success

Part Deux: "How'm I Doin'?" Feedback, Relationsips, and Success

"Who Do I Want To Become?" vs. "What Do I Want To Be?"

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Change: Building Conscious Competence, Part I of II

This article is the twenty-eighth in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

Change is about learning.

Dr. Peter Vajda adds to the personal and relational learning in this two-part article that begins today.

"If you are pained by external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your own judgment of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now. -- Marcus Aurelius

Becoming Aware of Awareness

One of the reasons I'm so appreciative of the series on change is its focus on the whole person as well as a focus on "other"--in a word, consciousness.

Not consciousness in the sense of intellect, facts, information or cognition, but in the sense of self-awareness, raising the bar on how you see yourself, knowing more about who you are and how you are in the workplace.

However, it's not simply discovering and knowing more about me; it's about making a conscious effort to understand those with whom I am in relationship, and how who I am affects my relationships; for example, when relating to my self, and to others, around the emotional cycle of change, the Kübler-Ross model.

Learning In Groups and Through Groups

The Community of Men groups I facilitate are composed of businessmen. But our work in these groups is not only about business. Our work in these Community of men groups is focused on the types of awareness discussed in the Change series:

• Do I have a sense of how my heart and soul fit in my work context?

• Do I know not only the facets and facts of healthy, conscious, honest and trusting relationships, but do I walk my talk when relating to others at work?

• Is the mantra, "People are our most important asset" a way of living my life at work, or basically just B.S.?

• How can I show up authentically by bringing my soul to the workplace and life?

The Importance of The F.A.E.

Recently in one of our groups, we discussed the notion of the "Fundamental Attribution Error" (FAE).

This is the tendency to over-emphasize others' personality ( i.e., their disposition, character, attitude, motives or desires) when we judge or explain their behavior, while discounting their life situation or context as a reason or explanation for their behavior.

It's an unjustified tendency to judge their actions based on some notion we think we have about the kind of person they are, rather than on the social and environmental forces that are influencing them.

BUT: when we behave inappropriately, or negatively, we most often excuse our own behavior as a reaction to our social or environmental circumstances, NEVER as a function of  our own personality or character. That is, we point to something outside ourselves, or someone else for our negative actions-- never ourselves.

Two men in the group offered these examples: 

1. I'm walking down the hall toward a colleague's office and pass a co-worker who doesn't make eye contact or in any way acknowledge my presence. I react by assuming (rightly, in my own mind) that this person is a jerk, has a huge ego, doesn't like or respect me, is absent-minded, or unfriendly judgments I have created judgments and assumptions that point directly to this persons personality, character or true and real nature.

2. My team leader walks by at 5:15 and throws a report she's been working on on my desk. Nary a word, a thought, a good-night, or a glance.  I make a judgment to my team-mate about her behavior, her personality and her attitude, a judgment that is demeaning, unkind, cruel and disrespectful.

How Do We Learn to Work With These Kinds of Situations?

Tomorrow, Peter shares some of the key questions that help his groups--and that will be a help in your own situation.

Join us then? I hope so.

BTW: We frequently gravitate toward people who are very much like ourselves when we want to check out the validity of our thinking. Let's face it, it's a lot more comfortable. Yet it's not necessarily the best way to learn something new.

Have a look at today's Lessons from Opposites article from one of my daily reads, Dr. Ellen Weber.

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Change: Who Are Your Resources?

This article is the twenty-seventh in a series about Change from Steve Roesler

When it comes to real-life change, Karin H.  comments that. . .

"it is good, healthy and profitable -- one way or the other -- to be able to talk these things through with others. Having a mentor or confidant is gold!"

I agree.

So I've invited Dr. Peter Vajda of SpiritHeart to relate the kind of work he does with businessmen (the specific groups he's discussing are men's groups) and some of the deeper individual changes that are addressed in those groups. You may be surprised at the kinds of issues these folks deal with in order to bring about genuine change in their lives and, as a result, their companies.

Peter's article will be published in two parts on Thursday and Friday. I hope you take advantage of his visit here at All Things Workplace.

Help Is Only a Click Away

Regardless of the improvement or change you want to make, you'll find outstanding insights and practical ideas through good sources right here online. To save you time, the list below should keep your learning curve headed in the right direction:

1. If you want to change how you manage your time, Mark McGuinness put together a terrific free e-book to help you do just that.

2. New employees need help with the job change. So, OD pro Joe Raasch has a series running that shows you how to do it effectively.

3. Your IQ won't overcome a lack of EQ. That's why you should Tune Up Your EQ  with Galba Bright.

4. Viral Change (TM) offers alternative ways to look at the whole process of change. Tom Haskins is always thinking about Change and Learning in interesting ways. And anyone who says "If you can't explain it to your grandmother, forget it" is a man after my own heart. So check out Luc Gallopin.

5. If Leadership and Management are on your list, then put these folks on there, too: Carmine Coyote, Jim Stroup, Wally Bock, and George Ambler. For a look at Strategy, check in with Mark Howell at Strategy Central.

These are just a handful of my regular reads...more to follow.

In the meantime, I hope you'll make it a point to stop back Thursday and Friday and learn a lot from Peter's work with personal change.

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Change: Conscious Competence

This article is the twenty-sixth in a series about Change from Steve Roesler

Are They Unconscious? Well, Yeah, Maybe.

When it comes to making changes, learning plays a big role. The bigger and broader the initiative, the more  deliberate we need to be about learning.

One of my favorite models to visualize all of this is the one below. It can be used in a host of different situations to help people understand the steps involved in learning new things. It also highlights the importance of "being there"--of having a consciousness and attentiveness when it comes to learning and integrating new skills, ideas, and concepts.

In case you haven't seen this before or used it in this way, here's how it works for all of us:

Working our way from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy:

1. Unconscious Incompetence. We don't know what we don't know.

Think about teaching a child and shoelaces. Little kids will run around forever with their laces untied, tripping over them, smiling, crying, tripping, smiling, crying--until mom or dad intervenes and says, "I've got a good idea to help you."

2. Conscious Incompetence. Dad reaches down, ties the shoes while talking through the steps, and says, "Try them now."

Junior runs around without falling and suddenly thinks, "Aha! I don't know how to do that but it looks like a really good idea. If I had a better vocabulary, I would say, 'Gee, Mom and Dad, I think I am Unconsciously Incompetent at this shoelace thing. You've really raised my awareness.' "

3. Conscious Competence. It's such a good idea that Junior decides it's worth it to stand still for a while while Mom reaches down and gives a lesson: "Put the right lace over the left one...pull it through...", until Junior tries it a few times and gets it right.

Now he's tying them himself, all the time saying--then doing--"Right over left, pull it through..."

He's consciously and methodically completing the task a number of times until one day he stops talking to himself because he becomes:

4. Unconsciously Competent. The little guy is now tying and re-tying his shoes while running on the playground, playing tag, and talking to friends, all at the same time.

Whenever we make changes, we go through the same process ourselves. And, we need to build into our consciousness the fact that other people are doing the same thing--at their own speed.

What Kind of Competence Do You Really Want?

We really do want unconscious mastery of many tasks in life--the adverse consequences aren't serious enough to outweigh the efficiencies involved. Besides, adults look pretty strange talking to themselves while tying their shoes.

But when it come to things like, oh, "flying an airplane"--it's OK with me if the cockpit crew runs through the procedures out loud every time. I really don't want the co-pilot kicking back with a cup of coffee and saying, "We've done this a thousand times. The weather's good. Let's not waste time with that lengthy pre-flight safety check."

Go For Consciousness

Organizations learn, improve systems, and make changes as a result of a high level of consciousness and awareness. I worry when I hear a manager say, "Oh, we've done it a million times." I always wonder how many of those times it was done right. Or whether anyone ever deliberately stopped action and decided to take a closer look at how effectively it is being done.

In fact, the more we do something, the less we tend to think about it. (When you drive your car today, decide to pay attention to everything you do and you'll see what I mean).

Managerial Thought For Today: A big part of your job is to raise people's consciousness.

What can you do to create a meaningful "Aha!" today? When you do, you've created the condition for people to look at things differently.

You've created a conscious reason to change.

If you enjoyed this post, I think you'll also want to look at:

• Be Patient With the "Aha!"

• Managing Change? Manage Goals If You Want Results

• Smart People, Change, and Willingness to Learn

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Change: Pinch Here, Go "Ouch" Over There

This article is the twenty-fifth in a series about Change from Steve Roesler

"Today's environment is beginning to threaten today's organizations, finding them seriously deficient in their nervous system design.... The degree of coordination, perception, rational adaptation, etc., which will appear in the next generation of human organizations will drive our present organizational forms, with their clumsy nervous systems, into extinction."  Douglas Engelbart , 1970

 

Your Company Is a Nervous System

I don't mean it's a nervous system (although it may be); I mean it's a Nervous System. Just like the one in your body that's filled with connections. Pinch your arm. Your head and body will jerk in response while you yell, "Ouch!"

Have someone stroke you lovingly on the back. Your eyes will close, a smile forms, and your body begins to feel weak and relaxed.

We live inside of bodies whose systems work together. When we impact one, we cannot avoid impacting others.

Organizational systems work that way, too. A major Change in the marketing department prompts repercussions in Sales, Customer Service, Public Relations, printing vendors...

There's no such thing as making a Change in one part of a company without having an impact elsewhere. That's why it's super-important to intentionally connect the dots beforehand. See what the relationships, connections, and impacts might be. Then plan your strategy and communication accordingly.   

BTW: People who can "connect the dots" are exceedingly valuable because they think systemically. And when it comes to Change, that value offers a big return on investment.

Something We Know About

I had thought about this topic earlier in the series and somehow it evaporated. I've followed the conversation generated from comments because--well--that's a way to connect the dots that are important to people.

But this week the series was interrupted briefly by a combination of work projects and (drumroll) a computer system upgrade. 

A system upgrade is when you pay money for a little circular thingy filled with secret code that will make computing really, really better. You do a simple click-and-install until you find out that all of your programs and data somehow were copied to an external hard drive in Ecuador even though you are in New Jersey. The mouse no longer works but you keep moving it, firmly believing that at some pre-ordained moment it will.  And, of course, all of your secure financial passwords have been forwarded to competitors, ex-spouses, and a Third World dictator of your choice. (Only available with the custom install option).

Who knew you could get so much for $129.95.

(Thank you for your indulgence; I needed that).

And the Point Is...

Every change you make impacts something else and someone else in your system.

In the common case of computers, here's just a brief set of systemic implications from the example above:

• Ooh. Can't submit that big invoice in order to receive payment before Christmas so I can buy a special gift for my favorite niece. On Christmas Day, favorite niece will begin referring to me as "My cheesy uncle." Her father will then accuse me of secretly spending more money on other nieces. I will remind him, in front of everyone, of the time he wet his pants during football practice. In a moment of total warmth and sisterly commiseration, our wives will openly express their regrets for having ever met either of us.

• No computer? No problem. I'll borrow my wife's laptop. Whoops. Now she won't have a computer. She's still recovering from surgery, and it's her lifeline to the outside world. Well, that will save us some money when she decides not to buy me anything for Christmas as a result of my commandeering her laptop.

• Aah. I can quickly return her laptop since most of my business programs aren't on it anyway. Including the password encryption program for bill-paying. Wow. Now I get to meet new people on the telephone who wonder why I haven't been kind enough to send them money.
  
  Hey--who really needs health insurance every month?

You are now mocking me in the comfortable reflection of your 30" Apple Cinema Display because you believe there is a lapse in my own systemic thinking. I see you. You look down upon me for not having a full backup system on another computer. O, ye of little faith.

Of course I do!

It's just that I gave it to my daughter for "a while" until she settles into her new job. Which, inconveniently, is in New York.

The Real Lesson: Think "1966"

That was the year I learned-- inadvertantly-- about Systems, People, and Connections. At college there was an option to earn a certificate in a certain type of computer programming on certain IBM machines. Allow me to show you how programming was performed:

If you wanted to "run" a program, you received a copy of a wiring diagram (like this) that showed exactly how to wire-up a a plug-in board that slid into the computer. Each wired board would tell the computer what to do. This one was for Payroll. Learning programming also meant figuring out what new configurations of wiring would produce specific functions and results.

Then:

You would grab a handful of wires, perform the necessary insertions on a rack (attached to handles), and slide it into the back of the computer as seen here.

A couple of sociological notes for those of you who haven't had a cold shutdown yet and are still here:

1. Signing up for this course was a bad move socially. There were no women in the class.  Why not? The racks were so heavy you could save on a gym membership by becoming a programmer.

2. Being an early adapter of new technology can have big benefits. One of the guys figured out how to unobtrusively wire the boards so that, after running correctly for a while, the program would not only cause the computer to stop functioning but would somehow impact the building's electrical system. The lights went out. Class would be canceled with no penalty. We would then go to the pub across the street, insist that we were 21, and order a beer. The bartender would then order us out of the pub.

And  that's  how I learned to reflect on the importance of "systemic thinking", its possibilities, and how one thing always impacted another.

Thought for Today: When people in organizations hear "systemic thinking", it often translates into "Business Systems"  thinking.  "We'll  just  install new and better technology, provide good training, and reap the rewards.

You're smarter than that. The next time you have to make a Change, remember that the effectiveness of systems is determined by the effectiveness of the people who operate them. Pinch here, Ouch there. Stroke here, smile there.

Connecting the dots is more than a clever business phrase. It's how business works.

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Change: System "Upgrades"

OK, I should have really, really  listened to Karin's change example about the always-ominous software upgrade. Then maybe I wouldn't have disappeared from the RSS-Feed-of-Life for a few days.

However, a total system upgrade offered additional thoughts for the can't-kill-it-with-a-stick series on Change.

Please check back a bit later today for how the same phenomenon--even without the software--impacts organizations of every size.

Now, one more manual to read...

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Change: No Closure Means Extra Exposure

This article is the twenty-fourth in a series about Change from Steve Roesler

"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning"
. . . Ivy Baker Priest, former Secretary of the Treasury, U.S.A.

"We've Come Full Circle" Is Good Business

Words evoke images and feelings. "Closure" is one of those for me.

When it first became popular, I found it useful to describe "completion." Over the years, it has been so bantied about by faux pop-psych peddlers and reality show whiners that I now cringe when I hear it.

There. Now I feel better. (Ooh--that means I have closure).

OK, so I have to deal with my terminology issue. The fact is, closure is a must when it comes to change.

Why?

Because if it isn't permitted or encouraged at the right time, it will come back to haunt organizations at the wrong time. Unfinished business demands completion. People require completion. So make your choice: Do it the healthy way or the disruptive way. Either way, it will happen.

Straight Line Mentality or Circle of Life?

Here's what I mean:

(Click on each image for full size window)

We've been working with the model on the left. It's linear, neat, and shows what appears to be a beginning and an end. Nice and neat. And it does do a good job of helping us intellectually grasp the emotional elements of change.

Yet the truth is, our lives and business lives are filled with ongoing changes. The end of one thing breeds the beginning of another. And each major change brings with it a sense of loss of what represented stability.

In business, we readily talk about sales cycles, business cycles, "going full circle", and "closing the loop". None of these is linear.

So here's a diagnostic question: Do we practice what we preach?

Most large-scale change models talk about "cementing" or "institutionalizing" the desired change. To do that, there needs to be an event or ceremony that acknowledges or even celebrates the past in order to let it go. Without such an acknowledgment, the cement is nothing more than silly putty. The past and its related issues will bounce back when we least expect it.

I'm not suggesting a global event of mass proportions for every change. I am encouraging organizations and the change agents within them to recognize the need of the human condition to reach legitimate closure in some way before moving on.

And after all, "People Are Our Most Important Asset."  That's what your Annual Report says.

Finally, With Thanks. . .

First, to  David Zinger  for featuring me as the December Leadership feature for the month. (David refused my Burt Reynolds Playgirl look-alike photo out of sheer good taste).

Secondly, to Slacker Manager for mentioning All Things Workplace as one of their favorite management blogs. I'm smiling.

 

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