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Why Do We Fall Down?

Top learnings on how to succeed with organizational change why do we fall down
Well-Developed skills to succeed in major organizational initiatives are not intuitive to many people. In fact, business leaders know their teams aren’t well versed in successful change. why do we fall down 
why do we fall down

What's needed for successful change behaviors in your organization? why do we fall down
Two of the most common areas businesses seek improvement are 1) #communication and 2)#processes.  Working on these two areas affects all aspects of the business, especially organizational change. The links here will take you to a video series I did awhile back. When the topic of organizational change comes up, most leaders rely the process or the model for implementation. They want to know what structure to set up to create success for their organization. why do we fall down While structures and processes are important support elements, they aren’t the sweet spot that makes the difference in organizational change. Generalist or Specialist? Bringing in additional help to navigate change is always something I recommend. Finding someone to help you with these areas can seem straightforward. There are many individuals and companies working in these areas who have expertise or certifications in organizational change. Working with a generalist, someone who can help with the basics of successful change, your team and your company will be better off. There will be improvement. But, what if your challenge is more specialized? Or what if the generalist still doesn’t achieve the success you desire?  What if you want to be in the 30% of companies that are successful with #organizationalchange? Finding the right specialist will accelerate the development of change behaviors with your team that succeed, repeatedly.  A model has a one size fits all approach. What you really need is a framework and a designed solution that fits your culture and anticipates your needs. Transformational change initiatives often require working with a specialist. It’s multifaceted. HARD. stuff! Specialists can help you carve a path forward that works for your specific organizational culture. They can help you direct the change initiative so that you pull the appropriate levers at the right time. Specialists can help operationalize the change culture that you need moving forward so your teams are better prepared and less reactive when the next opportunity arises. Whether you go with a generalist who will progress you forward or a specialist who designs a solution that incorporates all aspects of what you’re facing and can accelerate your success, the path is rarely smooth. There will be bumps in the road.
why do we fall down

Pivoting in Diverse Scenarios why do we fall down

Change often involves pivoting or moving quickly to new experiences.

Pivoting your body is normal and natural, turning a corner or working in a small space requires it.  Mostly, it happens effortlessly, without thought.

In your knee, a functioning ACL helps you pivot effortlessly. In business, your team’s creativity and past experiences will help you pivot effortlessly through business challenges.  Learned behaviors become effortless.

What happens when the Pivot is exhausting?

Is your team agile and adaptable when on unfamiliar ground?  Do they get it done but the work leaves them fatigued and not at their best?

Is the frequency of the change coming at them so quickly that they can’t catch their breath?

Learning new pathways is an incredibly valuable skill!

It’s best learned as a collaborative team effort. When your team pivots together utilizing the strengths of each member, they will grow and develop together.  Those shared experiences build strength and adaptability

Unfortunately intentional teaching and training on adaptation in a business environment is something left for – ‘when we have a break’. 

Speed to adapt and learn quickly is essential in today’s business environment. 

Adaptability

#Adaptability, or the ability to pick up new things, is a skill that helps tremendously in change.  Athletes call it muscle memory. It’s when you just act, without having to think long and hard about something. Adaptation is also a function of the business decision making cycle.  Accelerating change requires confidence to make quick decisions through learned experience. In business, when the team can evolve and grow beyond their comfort zone, it’s a recipe for future success. Each new pivot brings opportunity and strengthens adaptability.

Effective Rest and Recovery why do we fall down

Pivoting constantly can be exhausting! why do we fall down If your team is out of their comfort zone all the time with challenges that require a huge amount of change, they will need recovery time. Balance the benefits of being out of your comfort zone with disciplined recovery time. Leaders who intentionally build in recovery time give their teams the recharge they need to return at their best. Utilizing the existing project plan that provides structure and focus for the team to align on the common goals, incorporate recovery time into the plan alongside with all the team’s activities for change. Plans exist for almost everything in business. Maybe even contingency plans. Plans = CONTROL and control = comfort. It’s important to Plan, but the Plan is only as good as the paper it’s written on!
Planning

Ability to Process Difficult or Unexpected Change

What happens when things really go off course?

Surgery was not how I planned the year to start. So, I chucked the plan and started over, adding surgery and a lot of rehab time.

Maybe something like this has happened to you and your team with a business zinger lately. If so, here are 3 proven steps to move forward.

Mourn – lead that team session of ‘what could have been’. Skipping this step could get the team stuck. Keeping them from moving forward. A short, focused session will serve to get it all out on the table.

Take the next step – Action does wonders for analysis paralysis. Asking each team member for their next step and keeping an eye on it early is all that’s usually required. They’ll be off to the races soon!

Head talk – The stuff we say to ourselves can either create scarcity or abundance. Demonstrate to your team what techniques you use to keep yourself in the abundance mindset.

why do we fall down

Build These Skills with Every Opportunity

Now that you have a plan, all great companies spend time and effort on….Increasing efficiency of that new path.

If your business has had a big #disruptor, one of those left-field zingers, it’s likely you are less efficient than you desire.

Leaders with great performing teams that are faced with a disruptor have a tendency to remove it or work around it. 

Efficiency is money to the bottom line and removing the disruptor is logical.

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase ‘Give no ground’. It’s not only a competitive instinct but it’s often used as a reminder to stay persistent and to persevere through hardship.

With that approach, you and your team will likely return to prior levels of performance.  They also remain to their comfort zones. With what they know.

Missing a valuable opportunity to increase their adaptability by working through the disrtuption.

So, what happens when a challenge arises, like my injury, where a quick return to the past isn’t possible.

The only way forward is to carve a new path.

As frustrating and uncomfortable as that may be, there’s a big BENEFIT!

The opportunity to relearn and adapt to new situations is a gift and a highly desirable business skill. It stretches you and your team to new levels. 

Often leaders are excited when the team sheds some of the cumbersome processes that have bogged them down.

They go forward leaner and more efficient!

So, when you’re faced with that urge to squash a disruptor..

Don’t remove – learn through!

As humans we are biologically inclined to prefer our comfort zone, the normal, the familiar.

It’s an automatic behavior we start as infants. Falling down  gives us a chance to get back up. Often back to where we’re comfortable.

Pop culture shows us that even superheroes like Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins experience this. The adversity of falling down a water well as a child instilled the practice of learning to get back up.  That’s what he credits his perseverance to.

why do we fall down

Any adversity, small or large, is an opportunity to learn. To grow. why do we fall down

The learned experience or muscle memory of having been there before, even when the circumstances aren’t exactly the same develop pathways that you can rely on to move forward.  

Example best practices from innovation teams that apply here are

These organizational behaviors create safe places to get much needed experience.  And those experiences give you and your team a way to #learningbydoing.

I’m not suggesting you damage your ACL to make progress.  However, it is true that my prior experiences with innovation and organizational change benefited me in the weeks of physical limitation post injury. 

Consider structuring a test and learn experience this week.

The more frequent structured experiences your team has with failure, the better they’ll perform when a big event hits.

Interested in talking with a specialist that can help you implement a designed solution for successful change with influence, grace, and ease? Let’s connect

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