Organizational Development Category

Turn, turn, turn — the nature of transitions

According to William Bridges (author of several very good books on personal and organizational transition) transition is the psychological process of adapting to change. On its surface, change appears situational –such moving to a new city, taking a new job or having a new baby. It’s the underpinnings of these changes – called transition – that causes us to resist change. Of course, the process of transition itself brings us the greatest gifts. For example, often the very things we want in our lives are achieved by the process of transition.

In order to journey through transition, we first have to let go of an old way of being.  En route to embracing a new way of being, we spend time in the “neutral zone”. The neutral zone is limbo – we’re out of the old but not into the new.  The neutral zone is simultaneously very uncomfortable and full of learning, growth and evolution. No one likes to be there, but it’s a treasure chest of growth.

Here’s the paradox we all face: Change ensures the continuity that most of us want. And what we want to hold on to was itself once achieved by change, which brings us to the question “What do we need to let go of to have more of what we want?”

There’s a quote by M. Scott Peck that I love because it captures the essence of change so well: “The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when are we are feeling uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

We’re all human

I discovered recently I was a day late in paying a credit card bill. This is unusual for me: I am a big believer in punctuality, particularly when finance charges and late fees are contingent upon it. I called the credit card company right away to pay the bill. I said to the gentleman on the other end of the line, “I’m really sorry about this. Is there any way the finance charges could be waived just this once?”  He agreed to waive them and said to me, “Ms. Rowley, we’re all human.”

What a gift he gave me that day. We are all human – we don’t have to be perfect, we can make mistakes and apologize for them.

This experience reconnected me to my fascination with the art of self-acceptance. I thought of the people in my personal life, my clients and the leaders and organizations I work with – what if we all saw each other from a 40,000 foot view — without judgment?

Here’s a vision that intrigues me: A world in which we treat ourselves and each other with compassion, tell the truth when it needs to be told, apologize when necessary and keep trying to grow as people.  How would that change the actions of every individual, relationship and organization?  How would that change you?

Under stress? Express yourself!

Have you ever noticed that under stress, we often communicate less effectively? The “under stress, we regress” syndrome kicks in and sometimes we might as well be speaking a foreign language. When our stress levels are heightened, even normally clear communication can get short circuited.

Stressful times are usually the most important times to communicate with clarity, consciousness and intention. Whether you’re at work or at home, focusing on how, when and where you communicate can make a noticeable difference in the reactions, connections and cooperation you get from others. Here are four tips for staying on the path to glitch-free communication:

1. Agree on your communication ground rules. Who do you communicate with frequently in your professional or personal lives? Identify these people and consider designing your communication with them. In other words, how do you want to handle conflict or tension between you? What’s the atmosphere you want to create in the relationship? What are other “rules” that you want to consciously agree on? This strategy can be used effectively in one on one relationships and with teams or groups.
    
2. Stay off the horsemen. Dr. John Gottman, author and researcher, describes the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” in communication: defensiveness, blame/criticism, stonewalling and contempt. Whenever we mount one of these “horses”, we’ve ceased to listen or truly communicate. I encourage you to notice the role these four horses play in your life. When confronted with a sensitive issue, do you tend to get defensive? When you’re upset or angry, do you stonewall? How effective is your and others’ communication at that point?
    
3. If the answer doesn’t have energy, it’s the wrong answer. Whether you’re communicating with yourself, one other person or a whole group, if the answer you come up with doesn’t heighten the energy, make people feel better or open a new host of possibilities, there’s a good chance it’ s the wrong answer. A right answer – even if it might require tough actions-has energy, hope and a sense of potential.
    
4. If you’re confused, so is everyone else. Whether you’re in a business relationship or a personal one, if you’re feeling unclear about what you’re communicating or the best way to communicate it, the recipients of your communication will feel as confused as you do. It’s important to get clear about the message you intend to convey. Be a transparent communicator. People can’t discern the intentions, the goal or even the history behind your communication unless you tell them. Consider erring on the side of “over- communicating” and observe the results.

Use the tips above to brush up, augment or refresh your communication. Communication is one of the most basic ways that we relate as humans and we do it all day long, so it behooves us to make it as clear, easy and intentional as we can. The ability to communicate your intentions, thoughts and feelings is one of the powerful ways you can express yourself. So the next time you’re under stress, express!

How’s your alignment at work?

I love going to see my chiropractor for spinal adjustments. After each visit, I notice that I walk more easily. With my spine properly aligned, it takes far less energy for me to move with ease and comfort. Sometimes I don’t even realize how out of alignment I am until after the adjustment.

When your work is in alignment with who you are and what you want, it feels much like the sensation you have when your spine is aligned. As your life synchronizes with what you want, energy flows toward those desires, opportunities open up and life and work require less effort. Mental and emotional alignment is just as efficient as physical alignment.

Here are some clues you may be “out of alignment”.

• If you are bored, it’s usually time for a change.  Boredom is most often a sign of a deeper desire or impulse that is seeking expression.
• Your energy plummets on a regular basis at work or at home or both. If your energy levels are taking nosedive, it’s time to assess whether the cause is physical, mental or emotional.
• What do you want that you haven’t been giving yourself?  This is a sure fire way to take yourself out of alignment.
• You are missing or dismissing potential opportunities before you fully and thoughtfully explore them.

Alignment requires trust, stopping short of self-sabotage, and giving yourself permission to go after what you want. Allow your work to be easier. Get clear about what you want, and move your work into alignment with it. You’ll be working less and reaping more. Who doesn’t want that?

The business of communication

Question: What is considered one of the most important work traits, but seldom is fully addressed?

Answer: You guessed it – Communication!

What is the purpose of communication? Is it simply an exchange of information or is there more to it? 

I believe it’s multi-layered. When we communicate, not only do we exchange information, we seek to understand or to be understood. We communicate to build relationships, to work through conflict and tension, and to connect with others in a way that’s mutually beneficial. 

Regardless whether communicating comes easily or is a challenging endeavor, most of us can use a periodic review of efficient communication strategies. Communication in the workplace – and even outside of work – can be fraught with tension, power struggles and personality conflicts.  

Of course, you can only control what and how you communicate. You can’t control a colleague’s reaction to your idea or the outcome of a conversation with your manager. But you may be able to positively influence other peoples’ reactions and the final outcome by being skillful in your own communication style.

Effective communication requires a look at both your communication mindset and the communication “tools” at your disposal.

 Mindset

-          What’s the purpose of the communication? Be clear in your own mind what you’d like the outcome to be.

-          Watch for defensiveness – yours or the other person’s. Once someone is defensive, they can no longer hear you.

-          Be sure that you’re more invested in effective communication than you are in being right. Why? Because when being right becomes most important, you stop listening.

-          As much as possible, attempt to understand what’s important to the other person.

-          Ask yourself, “How will this person best hear what I have to say?”

Tools

- Use active listening. This can include reflecting back what you’ve heard and asking clarifying questions.

- Turn off any pre-judgments and assumptions about the other person. As much as possible, keep an open, neutral frame of mind.

- Look for the “good.” Thank the other person for the gifts and contributions he or she has made to you personally or to the organization.

- Body language. Be aware of the impact of your body language. And notice the information other people’s body language gives you.

- Facial expression. Again, be aware of your facial expression and the expressions of others.

- Tone of voice. How many of us have been told, “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it.” Your tone of voice is a powerful tool. Try to keep your tone neutral.

- “Act as if.”  Even if the thought of asking your manager for a raise is enough to make your stomach do somersaults, acting confident will make you look and feel confident. Don’t believe me? Smile a big smile and watch how your body responds. During your meeting, watch your body language, tone of voice and the words you choose. Prepare in advance. People will unconsciously respond to your presence even more than your words.

Heighten your awareness of your mindset and the communications tools at your disposal. You’ll build bridges, help people work together better and reduce negative reactions.

 At its very best, effective communication is simply a more efficient way to operate within your organization.

What’s the potential?

In preparation for 2011, I’ve been reorganizing my office, having it painted and cleaning off my desk (which is no small feat). In the process, I ran across this quote by the author and columnist Ellen Goodman:

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.”

What a great idea! Most perceived flaws have a seed of potential couched inside of them. It’s simply a matter of looking at each flaw differently. For example, the next time you’re at work deciding how to solve a problem that’s been hindering your team, department or organization, ask yourself these questions:

1. What’s the opportunity in this problem?
2.  What organizational potential does this problem reveal?
3. If I shift my perspective to one of potential and opportunity, how do my solutions change?

Brick Walls

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”

~Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch wrote his book The Last Lecture in 2007 when he was dying from pancreatic cancer. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It’s a great little book on how to take risks and really live. I picked it up again recently and was reminded: If you allow yourself to have dreams, trust yourself to believe in them, and take the required actions, they often come true. Even if you hit a brick wall. Especially when you hit a brick wall. Brick walls show us how resilient we are, require us to source our ingenuity, and ask us to be courageous.

What’s the brick wall you’re facing, and what are you going to do about it?

Can conflict lead to organizational alignment?

I recently watched a great clip on TED talks – William Ury, author of Getting to Yes, spoke about a simple (although not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations. Here’s the link to the clip: http://www.ted.com/talks/william_ury.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2010-12-07&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

Ury describes the “third side” of any conflict — the ability to seek higher ground from what he calls the “balcony perspective”.  The third side can be found in any conflict — from family conflict to organizational conflict to the Middle East. The third side of a conflict is the group of people (or person) who steps back, looks at the situation with fresh eyes, and seeks another option or solution.  His talk reminds me of how important the balcony perspective is in reaching alignment in organizations.

When an organization’s team is sitting around a table and the stakes are high, it is easy to lose perspective in the heat of a crisis, disagreement or critical decision. As humans, and especially as humans working in organizations, we can slide into fight or flight easily. The people who assume the role of the third side remind us what is really at stake in a conflict. They ask questions such as: How can we stay true to our organizational mission? What’s in the best interest of our constituents? What’s another option or solution to consider?

Welcome to my blog!

I’m Claudette Rowley, a career and leadership coach, organizational consultant and published author. I specialize in helping people and organizations come into alignment so they can grow and evolve.

What is alignment?

For individuals, alignment is coming to agreement within ourselves about what we want, need and value, and then taking the action required to make those desires, needs and values a reality. Alignment could be a great new job that suits our talents, commute and salary requirements. Or maybe you’re now the leader you’ve always wanted to be – using your talents, leading with your strengths and working for an organization whose mission you can stand behind with pride.

For organizations, alignment is coming to agreement about the outcomes they want to achieve and how they are actually going to get those results. Alignment is present when vision leads to mission which leads to strategy which leads to goals. For example, when people understand their role and everyone else’s, they understand how to get their jobs done and how their jobs contribute to the greater whole. When employees know to work cross-collaboratively and how to develop their employees, it’s easier to maintain a pool of talented people to lead, plan and take the necessary actions to get results.

How do you know when you’re in alignment?

 How do you know when your organization is in alignment?