Thursday, December 5, 2013

Leading Change

My minister from Crossroads Christian Church in Lexington, KY posted this Monday.  It REALLY has a good perspective on the changes we are trying to drive currently.  I promise, minus the Bible reference at the end (Proverbs) there are no religious trappings.  I got permission to post here since it did not readily have a public link.

As for Proverbs reference, view it as a reference to a conventional book on wisdom.  ;-)

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In his book, Deep & Wide, Andy Stanley points out how change is a complex issue.  James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner write: “Any system will unconsciously conspire to maintain the status quo and prevent change.” While leaders are often quick to blame people for their stubborn unwillingness to change, Kouzes and Posner rightly point out that the problem is much deeper and more complex than inflexibility or stubbornness. It’s a systems problem. Every workplace is a complex collection of systems. Every business has its way of doing things. And for the most part, it works. Consequently, change is rarely perceived as a solution.  “We’ve never done it that way before” can become the unconscious response to change.
Stanley notes that in most cases, change feels like an interruption. An expensive interruption to something that’s fine the way it is. An interruption with no guarantee at the end. Only promises and wishful thinking. The way things are done at your business is so deeply ingrained that you may meet resistance at every turn. And in spite of what you might be tempted to think, Stanley thinks it’s not anyone’s fault…
He suggests that the best way to bring about desired change is to describe the future. Paint a word picture.  Stanley declares, “The most ineffective way to begin a conversation about change is to talk about what needs to change. You should never begin a conversation about change by addressing where you are now. You should always begin with where you want to be. When you begin a conversation about change by discussing what needs to change, you generally begin with something that someone is emotionally invested in. That’s a recipe for failure. Or termination.”
Reminding me of where I am and then telling me I need to change is neither compelling nor inspiring. But pointing me toward a preferred future and helping me discover what I need to do now in order to get there … that’s different.
So the best place to begin any conversation about change is the future. What could be. What should be. Perhaps what must be! As a leader, your responsibility is to make the people in your organization discontent with where they are by painting a compelling picture of where they could be.  
Proverbs 28:6 (New Living Translation) “Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.”
Until next Monday, Glen
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