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All Change is Political

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It is a rarely spoken truth. All change is political. Power shifts are an inherent part of every change. As I will discuss below, this is as true at the personal level as it is at the organizational and the social levels.

We know this when we think in terms of national change. Certainly it’s true of political races, whether local, statewide, or national. There is not a broad social movement that doesn’t quickly engage—or scare off—politicians. Politics come into play in school board races, in social club elections, and in community-based organizations. They show up in our religious institutions. Parents attempt to coach their children’s athletic teams, or lead their youth groups, in order to have some control over their children’s experience. Those in power run for re-election to retain power. Those out of power run for election to continue the path of a retiring incumbent, to build on but shift the path, or to put things on a completely different path forward.

In our organizations, we have all heard of “office politics.” Every big change messes with them. While it is rarely, if ever, part of the official planning process, these changes result in power shifts which can be of significant magnitude. One place we often do see acknowledgement of the power dynamics of a change is in the leadership of acquired organizations. While it is not unusual for their contributions to be acknowledged, for a significant payment to be made, and for a place to be found in the new organization, it is unusual for them to remain in that new place any longer than necessary to receive the maximum personal benefit; they no longer have the power—the political influence—they had before the acquisition.

But underneath the surface, politics is hard at work during major organizational change. This often starts in the C-suite, where colleagues are vying for power, often at the expense of the change, and even of the organization they are purporting to serve. Following their leaders’ examples, the politics cascades through the organization as rapidly as (or more rapidly than) the change itself.

But how is personal change political? [Read more…]

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Are They Really Helping You?

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iStock_000007716967SmallIt feels good when people agree with you. If feels even better when they say supportive things and offer their encouragement. But when it comes time to carry out a really tough change, are they actually helping?

The answer is, it depends…It depends on whether they are saying what they think you want to hear, or telling you what you need to hear in order to be successful.

Some people set themselves up for failure, surrounding themselves with head-shakers, yes-sayers, make-you-feel-gooders. Those who dare to speak up and say “The emperor has no clothes” are quickly silenced. We see it with business leaders, with politicians, and even with our family and friends. Inevitably their trains go off the tracks; unfortunately, they are not the only ones who suffer in the process.

Most of us are more open to the truth, even when it contains bad news. After all, you don’t want a doctor giving you a clean bill of health because he doesn’t want you to be upset about the illness he has diagnosed.

Unfortunately, all too often friends, family, change practitioners, and peers are less candid. Perhaps they don’t want to upset you, to hurt your feelings, to dim your enthusiasm. But, in their absence of candor they are not helping. In fact, they are putting the change you are working on at risk. [Read more…]

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What’s Stopping You?

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AdobeStock_68354316Chances are, you are sitting on a change that you want to make in your life. It may be really big…perhaps a move toward a new career, entering or leaving a personal relationship, selling or buying a home. Or, it may be somewhat smaller…a change of hairstyle, getting a tattoo, or hiring a professional to redo the garden.

What’s stopping you?

That’s not to say that every change we think about should be acted on. In fact, I tend to think toward the other end of the continuum. We should save our change energy for the really important ones, for those changes that are imperatives for us. So, if you are sitting on it, and it doesn’t feel as if it is an imperative, see if you can let it go. Saying no to these ideas–sometimes really good ideas–is necessary to conserve our change energy. Let it go for those things that you have to say yes to.

But what if that change you are sitting on is one that you have to say yes to? And you are still sitting on it? What’s stopping you?

It’s not uncommon for me to work with clients who find themselves “stuck” in this way. They want to move forward with an imperative change, but they don’t know how, or they are uncertain as to what to do to move forward, or they are afraid they might be making a bad decision, or they are uncertain as to whether they will be successful, or…

The reason for moving forward on an imperative is simple. You must.

The  reasons we find for not moving forward are many. They are often strong. And most of them are legitimate.

So, what do you do when there is a change you have to make, and something is stopping you? [Read more…]

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What Questions Are You Asking Yourself?

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Question markQuestions are at the heart of change.

For the individual change practitioner (the coach, the mentor, the therapist), questions are a critical–even the primary–tool.

Organizational change practitioners rely on them as well, though generally not as often.

But what about you if you are the one taking the change journey? What questions are you asking yourself?

I’m not referring to questions like Why is this happening to me? Why is this happening now?  and  so forth.  I am referring to those self-exploration questions that help move you forward on the path.

What are some of those questions? [Read more…]

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Change Through a Different Lens

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iStock_000000045983Small - CopyChange professionals at the organizational level tend to apply a wide-angle lens to change. While their change methodologies are generally based on an understanding of the human response to change, they are framed from an organizational perspective.

Those who approach change at the individual level–coaches, mentors, therapists–see change through a different lens. Whether the change is driven by the individual they are working with, or by change in his or her organization, or it is a social change…these professionals look at the change through a macro-lens, a lens that says, All change is personal.

Is it possible for organizational change practitioners and their leadership to look at change in this way as well? I believe it is. I am not suggesting that the more traditional perspective of change be discarded. Rather, I think that an additional perspective can be added; the addition of an “all change is personal” perspective to organizational change will–I believe–substantively improve the overall track record of change success in organizations. [Read more…]

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Being Eye to Eye With Change

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reflection of men in mirrorWhen was the last time that you looked at yourself in the mirror?

Not the combing your hair, brushing your teeth, checking the make-up, tying the necktie, “how do I look in this” looking in the mirror. Not the take a selfie for Facebook, Instagram, texting looking in the mirror.

The looking at you in the mirror.

The eye-to-eye with yourself looking in the mirror.

The “I really see me” looking in the mirror.

When was the last time you looked in the mirror in that way?

When I ask people that question, the answer is often “when I was a kid,” or “when I was a teen.” Once in a while someone will reference a special event: their wedding day, the birth of a child, or a death. Almost never do I hear “today,” or “this week,” or “it wasn’t too long ago.” [Read more…]

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