Is Change Hard?

28 Aug Is Change Hard?

CHANGE

Change is still hard. Our deeply engrained beliefs about rigidity and control are the root of the challenge, rather than the psychological resistance of individuals.

Our focus is misplaced. We think the approach to create positive change is mentally conditioning the affected individuals, to break their resistance. The real work is abandoning the baggage of past institutional beliefs held in common with leadership. We desire something new – new outcomes within the limiting old structures. That won’t happen. Shifting behaviors for individuals comes through good communication, listening and empathy. Busting away from organizational norms of comfort and control, leadership ambiguity, are the greatest challenges.

Linear thinking – linear processes of the industrial eras have blown up and many leaders, educators and psychologists spend a ridiculous amount of energy collecting pieces, attempting to reassemble the past linear, understood and controllable world.

There is no rewind button.

We are forced to envision and actuate flexible frameworks to accommodate the new dimensional, relational and sheer volume of concurrent changes.

In this new era, the fundamental and urgent shift requires a “Human-First” and “Future-Focused” priority. The key measure is to map maturity and accelerate organization beliefs to this new reality. Leadership and management learning are the essential elements. Killing egos and navigating the unknown is the job at hand, not condescending guidance to the subordinate masses.

People are your business and teams are the engine for business growth.

Our current team models are not enough. They are immature and linear, founded in norms not expansiveness, guided to conform not challenge, compliant not creative.

We forgot/ignore the power of inspired performance and winning.

He put the team on his back…She single-handedly changed the game…She stole the show…That performance vaulted a nation… “Remember these?” Can we liberate our greatness and lift the whole by accepting the exceptional? Or are we stuck in the belief of sameness, of hope for brilliance in leadership rather than leadership by the inspired?

In business, we think about teaming in the same unimaginative linear manor of other processes. Like a collaboration, workflow, group-think and meeting agendas. We ignore and suppress any inspired “magic.” Companies cannot control greatness – so there will be no greatness. We suppress individualism and unique talents.

Rebels are revered soloists and reviled corporate citizens.

In this age of transformation and disruption, the divergent, the rebel is required to move the dial. It’s a dangerous and bold and unwelcome position.

Our need to handle change is pervasive and accelerating. Until we reconsider our assumption of the problem – we will not achieve solutions.

Are you having the right conversations in your business?