As I watched the 11th September attack on the World Trade Centre, seeing the planes fly over and over again into the buildings, I was struck by a need for us to do something, something different, and this got me asking myself some questions on the nature of the change process.

Change is a feature of everything, so we are all aware of it. It affects every aspect of our lives, and rather like the weather, we can either seek to protect ourselves from it or make the most of it. But is it “Just one of those things?” A modern fad? Or should we try to ‘manage’ it?

What is change? I always think of it as a journey made up of interwoven beginnings, middles and ends. However, my middle maybe part of your beginning…and so on. Things that affect the nature of our journey can be divided into two main types; things we decide or can control, and everything else falls into the ‘Stuff that Happens’ category.

Of course no system is completely isolated from its environment and what we decide affects what happens. If I feel that we are entering a recession and decide to cut back on my spending, then perhaps I help bring about that recession.

The degree to which we make decisions that affect our lives and our businesses, and the manner in which we respond to those external factors has a huge impact on not only how successful we are, but perhaps more importantly, how we feel about that success and ourselves. It is a fact that the people who suffer from most stress are not the executives who make decisions, but the people lower down in the system who feel unable to control their lives. So taking active part in this inevitable process reduces stress (as well as causing it!)

Most businesses have annual plans, which usually incorporate a degree of change (but usually quantitative change rather than qualitative.) Staff come and go, systems are upgraded and laws and taxes are modified. So why might you need some help with change when you are paid to manage it?

You may be someone who enjoys D.I.Y., you may be very skilful and have the time and energy to do it yourself. However, back at the business you have many things to attend to, things that only you can do; can you afford the luxury of a D.I.Y. solution?

The reality is that unless the change you are trying to effect is business critical, then you will think about it, begin it and at some stage between inception and completion things will happen that demand your attention, and gradually the new program withers and fails. That is why everyone ‘knows’ change doesn’t work. There are some areas where you just can’t Do-It-Yourself, heart surgery is one and change is another.

If you remember the last time you were looking for houses? Remember how quickly you were able to assess what needed doing, all the possible things you could do with it. In a matter of half an hour you had a very good idea of how that house could be transformed. Now think about your own home; most of us have areas that need a little attention, things that we were going to fix, but haven’t got round to, depredation brought about by children, dogs and the weather. Do you really notice them any more? The same is
true in your business.

Quantum physics has proven that introducing an observer (or even a measurement system) into a system changes that system. The obverse of this is that if you are part of a system, then you are part of the problem. The irony is that you are also part of the solution. Think of any system that you are part of, your family, your firm, your social circle; think about how your feel about it, what you notice about it, what you can do about it. Then think about a system that you are not part of, a different family or group; what do you notice about these people?

To be effective in a change program you actually need a ‘Both / And’ approach. All the insight and familiarity of an insider combined with the experience, perspective and insight of an external agent.

The roles of the insider and external agent are very different. The insider must sponsor the change both in terms of providing the resources required and providing the political backing. The external agent brings in additional resource, wears the ‘badge’ of expert, can challenge the system, and perhaps most importantly has the responsibility of making the change happen and therefore maintains focus on it.

One definition of lunacy is in “Expecting to get something different in continuing to do what you have always done”; and yet we all do it. If you want to get something different.. Do something different..

There is never a ‘good time’ to begin a change program. There are always so many things competing for your time and attention. Change means uncertainty, disruption and cost (at least in the short term), and we all shy away from these things. There is never a ‘good time’ because the only time you can decide to make a change is right now! If you want things to be better tomorrow (whatever that means to you) then you must act today. Almost regardless of what you do, if you do something different right now, you can get something different! Then you are beginning the change process.

So here is a challenge for you, “What could you do, right now, that would be different?” Don’t think about it, do it! You may be surprised how a small change by you can make a big difference elsewhere. Don’t wait… Just Do It!

The secret to change & powerful communication

I’m sure that most of you have heard at one time or another someone quote, with great sagacity, that words only account for 7% of the meaning of communication. The fuller version is that 55% comes from body language, 38% from the tone of voice and the remaining 7% from our words. This seems surprising, and if we ponder longer perhaps even wrong. However, it is an much quoted ‘truth’ often repeated by trainers with NLP qualifications, so they must be right mustn’t they!??

Nope… you were right the first time. The research that this comes from was by a man called Albert Mehrabian and was done in the late 60’s. I won’t go into how he established this, but this is what he says about being quoted out of context

‘My findings are often misquoted. Please remember that all of my findings on inconsistent or redundant communications dealt with communications of attitudes. This is the realm in which they are applicable. Clearly it is absurd to say that the verbal portion of all communication constitutes only 7% of the message….anytime we communicate abstract relationships (physical directions, technical information, simple descriptions), clearly 100% of the entire communication is verbal.’

However, it is probably quoted as often as it is because it contains a kernel of truth. If what we say is aligned with the tone, posture and gestures that we use then it will be much more effective, persuasive and powerful. It is this congruence that lies at the heart of powerful communication. As human beings, one of the survival behaviours we have learnt is to act as human lie detectors. We scan each other for sincerity, to see if we can trust the messages we are receiving.

When you see a good presenter, or meet an effective salesperson, they probably have mastered the art of aligning these various communication channels in order to persuade us that they are right. Does it necessarily mean that they are right? Of course not, but they either believe what they are saying or have learnt to eliminate these ‘tells’ (as poker players call them).

Mastering this art is valuable in and of itself, but I wanted to draw your attention to the importance of congruent communication and behaviour in the context of Change programmes.

Most people have been through any number of these in the course of their careers and cynicism is not only natural but useful. People are scanning to see if this is one of the many programmes that go away if you ignore it. The next strategy most people employ is to adopt the new buzz-words that go with the change and do nothing more.

‘Deafness has left me acutely aware of both the duplicity that language is capable of and the many expressions the body cannot hide.’ Terry Galloway

There are a series of further steps people go through before deciding to commit and actually ‘do it’. The time it takes them to decide to commit can be greatly reduced by ensuring that all corporate communication is congruent. Congruent not only with the change that you are trying to make but also between the various members of the management team, and also with the behaviour of the person delivering the message. For example, never say that communication is vital to the success of the business and then tell people you don’t have time to talk to them!

I’m sure that you get the idea. You have almost certainly got any number of examples of being on the wrong end of this sort of thing. The mistake we often make is tending to think that we are any less transparent that those we have seen through. You have to almost become the change you wish to implement.

Don’t try to implement anything that you don’t believe in, and if you do believe in it take the time to explain why it is so important, not only to you, but also to them!

“Fie, fie upon her!
There’s language in her eye, her cheek, her lip,
Nay, her foot speaks; her wanton spirits look out
At every joint and motive of her body.” William Shakespeare

So much resource is invested in these Change programmes, take the time to make sure that it is communicated in an aligned, congruent fashion and you’ll be surprised at how much less resistance you encounter.

Call us now to discuss what we can do to help you communicate more effectively +44 1483 208505 or email ‘info@i-change.biz’ to discuss how we can help and support you. We offer a free initial review

Good luck!