Posts Tagged ‘change’

« Older Entries

Handle Things A Little At A Time

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine I know from the gym. She said, “I hate my life.” Whoa. Stop. “Maybe there are some things you dislike about life at the moment, but do you really hate your life?” I asked. She laughed and said ‘no,’ but that she was in a funk.

Life is as life is. The most successful people in life (and I define successful people in life as those who love their lives, not just those that have the most stuff) are those who find small ways to stay upbeat, happy and engaged regardless what comes their way. They reconnect to small meaningful things during the day to remind themselves of what is going right instead of what is going wrong. They make the time for attitude mini-makeovers – minor changes in attitude and approach to focus on abundance and possibility, not scarcity and impossibility.

Here are two examples:

1. When you notice your belt is getting a little tighter than it should, eliminate snacks for the week, or replace them with fruit. Don’t change all your eating habits, just select one thing and either eliminate an abuse or add something of value. It helps you feel in charge, it is easier to do and it helps you address an issue. You feel empowered and capable. It does great things for your attitude.

2. When you see that times are tight and you have less money for the old traditions of eating out, going to movies or buying things at will, you modify just a bit to have friends over, play board games, go for coffee instead of meals, or plan a day of window shopping instead of store shopping. Life is still fun, but now it doesn’t put you into a financial situation you can’t afford. You feel empowered and capable. It does great things for your attitude.

Human nature seems to drive us to notice what is not right, then spend our time complaining about it and making it larger than it is. True, life does send us true traumas. So, to me, when it is not a true trauma, don’t make it one. See things as they are, realizing that life is as it is; our job is to find ways to be happy and successful with whatever comes our way. And to quote from Winnie the Pooh (it is amazing where wisdom can come from), “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Just handle things a little at a time.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in For Employees, For Individuals, For Managers | No Comments »

Get Results In A Period Of Change

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Change in the workplace is the new constant. With the increase in access to information, successful organizations must always be adapting, changing, improving and growing. This can wear your employees out.

So how do you help your team thrive and learn to welcome change? How do you build their confidence, energy and engagement when many of them feel like they are “running on empty?” I’ll share four ways in a moment, but see if you and your employees can relate to this situation:

You come from a meeting and are overwhelmed by new initiatives, new directions or added work. You look at the page or pages of notes, not sure where to start, or what is most important. Though you know the change is important, you can’t get your head around all that you need to do. You feel overwhelmed before you even start. And this directly impacts your attitude, effort and ultimately your success.

So here are four ways to help your employees stay confident and productive in a workplace of exponential change:

1. Provide absolute clarity of direction, expectations and results.
2. Divide responsibilities into smaller, scalable components; focus on the critical things, not everything.
3. Build in success momentum; find ways for to achieve small immediate successes to activate energy and confidence.
4. Be (more) available for support, training, dialog and applause.

In today’s smaller workforce, chances are better that those employees who remain are your better employees (and if they aren’t, why not?) – because you know you have to get more done with less. Though you have great people, they still can get overwhelmed by the amount of change.

Just presenting a new project, or informing your employees of a need to change, does not make the change happen well, or keep their energy high. Instead, it takes a new and more connected approach to managing to make changes when change is hard. Help them learn new habits that will activate their performance in any period of change.

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you better connect to your employees to activate their passionate performance. Be sure to check out Switch by Chip and Dan Heath.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »

Roadblock!

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Picture this. You are driving along, not a care in the world, and suddenly the road is blocked ahead. You can’t continue. You have to stop. What is your first reaction? g%lr#*@#?$@!

Now let’s say that as you are detoured, you pass by an amazing coffee shop and bakery – you never knew they were there. And next to them is an orchard with fresh fruit and homemade wine. How serendipitous.

Now, back to life. You are moving through your busy life. Suddenly an event happens – a recession, a lost job, an illness, a family emergency. A roadblock. You can’t move on as you were. You have to stop. You have to find a detour. What is your first reaction? Wait, let’s talk about this…

Obstacles and roadblocks are life’s way of saying “stop, think, dig deeper into yourself, see what you are made of, then respond.” Roadblocks are life’s way of getting our attention – then offering us a detour.

Most people hate the roadblock; it is perceived as a negative event and an interruption. Instead, consider the roadblock as an event for good – to help you see how capable you are, to get you out of “autopilot,” and to show you things you were too distracted to see – like the bakery and the orchard on the detour.

As you meet your roadblocks:
1. Believe that something better is in store.
2. Allow yourself to stop, think and respond, noticing your capabilities and strengths. As has been said, “we fear because we forget (or don’t know) how strong we are (or who we are).”
3. Connect with others to collaborate in ways to react and respond; think “collective genius.”

A roadblock is forced change. Most people hate change. Instead, be open to the good change can bring and learn to welcome it. Soon, roadblocks will become great events because they’ll show how capable you are and how big your world can be; they can change your perspective.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in For Employees, For Individuals, For Managers | No Comments »

Change is the New Constant

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

“When the rate of change outside exceeds the rate of change inside, the end is in sight.” Jack Welch

Change – it is actually something you can be sure of, like death and taxes. And organizations that learn not to fear change, and actually welcome it, prepare themselves to be significant players in today’s economy. Welcoming and responding to change is the responsibility of both management and employees – it is learned behavior. It is management’s role to help build a nimble, resilient and flexible organization that can zig when zigging is right, and zag when it is time to zag. This responsiveness helps employees feel supported and in control when much of the world around them is uncertain. This helps employees stay focused on the mission, goals and direction of the organization, regardless of magnitude of change around them.

Employees who learn that change is nothing more than an opportunity to invent something new, develop a new skill and continue to learn, openly welcome times of change. They are optimistic and upbeat as they see its value both personally and professionally.

Handling change successfully is a mindset. Change is the new constant. Stay ahead of change and use it to grow, and your organization will survive. Fight change, hold onto the past and continue to use old thinking, and your days are numbered. Fired Up! workplaces take change in stride, know it is just another part of an exciting and high performance day. What is your organization’s perspective of change? What is your plan to zig and zag?

For help creating a culture that accommodates change, check out my book, Fire Up! Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition.

For help dealing with change, see Ariane de Bonvoisin’s outstanding website and great book, The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Making Any Change Easier

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

« Older Entries