art and science of change Archives - Page 12 of 12

Track Your Path to Success (Personal Change)

January 16, 2015 By Brian Gorman

How do you measure success? What are the milestones along the way that let you know that you are–or are not–making progress? In today’s blog I offer some guidance when facing a change that is personally oriented; next week we will look at the same question through the lens of an organizational change.

In What’s Your Story? (Part 2, Guidelines 1-5 for Writing Your Story) I spoke briefly about the distinction between “installation” and “realization.” Let’s briefly revisit those distinctions first. Throughout this post I will use the example of a major career change. You are leaving your financial services career on Wall Street to become an actor; it is a passion that has burned inside you as long as you remember, and you are going to make your dream come true.

Installation is achieved when things are put in place. Installation metrics may include getting accepted to acting school; submitting your resignation; commencing training; completing your training; being selected for your first part; and completing your first acting assignment.

Realization is achieved when the promise of the change is fully delivered. perhaps, for you, realization will be when you feel secure in your ability to support yourself as an actor…no more waiting tables, valet parking cars, or serving hors d’oeuvres at catered parties.

All too often, when we plan a major change for ourselves, we start with the passion that is in our heart as our desired future state, and then we plan as if installation will get us there. Unfortunately, installation only gets us installation; it doesn’t get us realization. Nor can you start thinking about “what else do I need to do” once you have achieved installation. It is important to plan on, and move toward, realization from the outset.

If it is a big change, start by thinking through and listing out all of the major adjustments you are going to have to make not only in what you do, but in how you think. Perhaps while on Wall Street the thinking was “eating out is convenient, and I can afford it.” It may still be just as convenient, but may be much less affordable as you work your way through acting school, auditions, and your early parts as an extra or a member of the chorus. So, not only will you have to change how you spend money, you most likely have to change how you think about money. You will also probably need to make changes in where you live; your wardrobe will most likely be different; how you spend your time–including both working and non-working time–will probably change, as might when you get up and when you go to bed. They call it “major change” for a reason!

What about the people in your life? The colleagues who used to drink martinis with you before dining may be less excited about downing a shot after the final curtain call. The friends who loved getting invited to your beach house may find they have less excitement about a picnic in the park. And the family that worked and sacrificed to help you and your siblings through college so you could have a better life…perhaps they will be less than enamored with your new-found enthusiasm for what they see as a less professional, less lucrative, and less secure career path.

We touched on this briefly in the post Anchors, Aweigh, but it bears repeating here. In planning a major change, you are going to have to consider those around you. What role do they play in your life now? What role do they need to play in the transition? What role will they need to play when you achieve your desired future state? Which ones will be the same, which ones will be different, and which people will you need to end your relationship with in order to succeed?

Once you’ve listed all of the changes in thinking and behavior you can come up with, grab some sticky notes and a pen or pencil. Put each one on a separate piece of paper, and put it up on the wall (or white board, or closet door, or window). You may want to use different colors for mindsets and behaviors, or for different aspects of the change (e.g. leaving the old job; redefining relationships with people).

Now you can begin to group these together. Use your story to help you think this part through.

Let’s go back to your intent. I feel secure in my ability to support myself as an actor!

Begin by defining your realization indicators. What will make you feel secure? Be specific; be sure it is measurable. You may already have some among the sticky notes you have posted; you might need to develop others.

These may be some of your metrics.

I have $X in the bank, of which $Y has been made as an actor.
For the past 18 months I have had a positive cash flow, all of it as an actor.
I have re-framed my lifestyle so that I am comfortable, in fact feel like I belong, in my one bedroom apartment.
I am entertaining family and/or friends at home at least once a month.
Etc.

Once you have your realization indicators (on sticky notes on the wall), think through how they might group together. Perhaps you will end up with some that have to do with financial management, others with career development, and others with lifestyle.

Next, position them in a relative sequence. The first two of the bulleted indicators may be targeted for attainment near the end of the change, as you approach full realization. The third one you might decide to position earlier in the process.

Now think through your installation indicators. Again, many of these may come from the sticky notes you have already developed. What do you have to put in place in order to achieve each of the realization indicators? For example, what will it take for you to move out of your three bedroom and feel comfortable in a one bedroom apartment?

I have identified the characteristics of a living space in which I can be comfortable (a more open plan vs. individual rooms, whether a view is needed, etc.).
I have pared down my positions so that I have what I can comfortably live with inside the new apartment.
I have a plan in place for ensuring that I don’t begin to clutter my space.
I have defined the type of neighborhood in which I will be comfortable.
I have found, leased, and moved into my new apartment.
Etc.

Look at the sticky notes that you first put on the wall, and that have not become either realization or installation indicators. Ask yourself two questions.
Have I identified an indicator that this contributes to achieving?
If not, am I missing an indicator, or is this unnecessary?

You should end up with a series of “work streams” made up of installation and realization indicators.

Finally, review your work streams. If you achieve all of the indicators in each of the work streams, will you be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, I feel secure in my ability to support myself as an actor.

Keep a record of what you have on the wall. It will change over time. You don’t have all the answers now; you don’t even know all the questions. Things will change around you. So, your indicators will have to change as well. Nonetheless, you are well on your way to planning, and preparing to launch, a very big, and important, change in your life.

Have you ever planned a big change in your life? Do you use milestones to track your progress? Share your thoughts, experiences, and insights in the comments.

Rembrandt Didn’t Paint By Numbers: Mastering the Art and Science of Change.

December 16, 2014 By Brian Gorman

Whether you are a professional change practitioner, or an individual attempting to more successfully navigate the changes in your life, it is important to understand both the science and the art of change. Rembrandt offers us a valuable role model in this regard. Known as one of the best artists ever, he was a master of his craft.

At the age of fourteen, Rembrandt van Rijn (Rembrandt of the Rhine) entered The University of Leiden. Nine months later he left the university to apprentice with a master painter, Jacob Isaacsz Van Swanenburgh. In his book How Rembrandt Reveals Your Beautiful Imperfect Self, Roger Housden writes that in the 1620’s, “(an artist’s) standing, despite the general popularity of painting, was not high. In general, he was still considered more of a master craftsman than someone with a unique artistic talent.”[1]

Swanenburgh was no great artist, but he would have taught Rembrandt to prepare a canvas and grind colors; he would have shown him the elementary principles of drawing, perspective, and anatomy. Pigments were ground with linseed oil on a large, flat stone—the grindstone—to make the paint. Rembrandt would have made white paint from white lead and chalk, blue from ground glass, and lacquers from insects or plants.

Rembrandt began his formal education by learning the science of his craft.

By the age of nineteen, with two apprenticeships behind him, Rembrandt set up his own studio, which he shared with another painter. Here he began to experiment, including his early work in etching, an artistic technique that was just beginning to emerge. For more than forty years, Rembrandt continued to seek mastery of his craft, learning—and often defining—the science of it as he developed in his artistry.

Rembrandt didn’t paint by numbers.

This brief introduction to Rembrandt provides several lessons for those of us who practice the craft of change execution. First, just as Rembrandt learned about canvas and colors, perspective and anatomy, we need a firm grounding in our science. The science of change is about applying a uniform set of things (patterns, risk, tools, etc.) in a standard way, each intended to consistently accomplish a very narrow range of outcomes. It involves staying within defined boundaries, preserving prescribed meaning, and leveraging known solutions. The benefit of the science of change is that it allows for “stability.” When addressing challenges that are highly complex, volatile, and ambiguous, it is important to have access to means you can trust to create similar results most of the time. Applying the science of change also greatly simplifies the execution of less difficult changes.

Rembrandt became a master of his science. This provided him with a firm foundation, and one that he continued to develop and refine over his lifetime. However, it wasn’t this mastery alone that led to the renown he claims today. Rembrandt also became a master artist. He experimented, creating self-portraits that reflected anger, worry, and laughter. “He was able to see the realities of the three-dimensional world, and was true to what he saw; but he could also see what the ordinary eye cannot: the spirit, the life of a person, or indeed of a landscape. With one eye, Rembrandt saw every physical detail; with the other, he saw with the eye of imagination.”[2] Rembrandt was a student of light and shadow—what is visible, and what is not. Wherever he went, he was observing, making sketches, capturing and expressing the visible and the invisible. It is these things that imbue his work with life, that raise his art from being technically superior to the level of masterpieces.

Likewise, we can be skilled technicians, masters of our science. As such, we may be successful in the implementation of many changes. However, strong—even masterful—technical ability is not enough to ensure success. We, too, need to be artists. Just as Rembrandt, we need to study human mindsets and behaviors. We need to keep one eye on “the realities of the three dimensional world,” and one on the spirit that is driving those realities. We need to be students of the light and the dark, the visible and the invisible. The art of change is about applying “creativity and intuitive judgment” to unique circumstances where multiple scenarios of success are likely to surface. It involves exploring new horizons, generating meaning in the moment, and fostering innovative responses. Science informs us, while art shapes our viewpoint. Both aspects are essential to properly address today’s level of transformational challenge. The science is needed to establish a steady platform from which we can operate—providing trustworthy understanding, skill, tools, and so forth to select and deploy. The art is necessary so the items we select can be tailored (in substance and/or presentation) to meet the particular demands of each contingency.

While Rembrandt proudly claimed his space in the history of art, it is also clear that he was a student of those who came before him. He was a collector of art, and art books. You can see his homage to past masters in the dress and poses of many of his self-portraits. In practicing our craft, we too, need to be mindful of those who have come before us, of the science—and the art—that they have left for us, and from which we can learn.

Rembrandt’s struggles are legend. Three of his five children died in infancy, and a fourth died in his twenties. Rembrandt lost two wives. He suffered bankruptcy, losing his home and virtually all of his possessions. He suffered from melancholy, what we would now term depression. Yet through all of this, he prevailed. Through all of this, he grew in his science and art of his craft. His passion for making art never seemed to waiver. “All through his life, he was ‘making himself’ through the work of his art. Not deliberately, not self-consciously; but through a continual and dedicated working over and over of the same furrow he was given to plow, the furrow of art. Just so, we ‘make ourselves’ with our own form of dedication to a lifelong task, a relationship, or faith.”[3] Hopefully, none of us will experience the suffering of Rembrandt as we seek to “make ourselves” as change practitioners. Nonetheless, we need to draw from his lesson of passion, commitment and relentless pursuit to the work if we are going to move toward mastery of our craft.

The execution of change is not a casual craft. Rembrandt didn’t paint by numbers and if we are to truly practice our craft, we cannot either. We cannot ensure success by relying on unconscious competence; nor will success be routinely achieved by blindly applying a fixed change methodology, no matter how rigorous it is. If we are to consistently succeed, whether with organizational change or with the changes in our own lives, we require a balance of the science and art of change.

What are your thoughts on the science, and the art, of successfully navigating change? Add your comments below.

[1] How Rembrandt Reveals Your Beautiful, Imperfect Self: Life Lessons from the Master. Roger Housden; Random House, 2005; page 17.

[2] Ibid, pp. 33-34.

[3] Ibid, p. 156.