Spiraling Up and Change

We change diapers, people on the other hand evolve, develop, grow, become. Processes, systems, and equipment are like diapers, they are changed. Culture, teams, leadership, and organizations are like people (because they are people) they evolve, develop, grow, and become.

Thing/What = Change

Human/Who = Become 

Now I know that this is an oversimplified statement because things/whats and humans/whos intersect and this is where it gets foggy and potentially messy.

People have the natural tendency to tie their contribution, therefore their worth and self-esteem, to the things they do rather than their intrinsic strengths and attributes. So, when the “things” are changed, they can feel their value is threatened.

In the Spiral of Accountability™, change is something that produces a Fog (grey blob in the middle). If someone’s reaction to that change/fog is fear and anxiety and those feelings spark negative self-talk such as: “they are taking away my things; I can’t learn all this stuff; this will never work,” they are beginning to Spiral Down.

At this point, they may exhibit those destructive behaviors such as ignoring or avoiding, making excuses and blaming and complaining. They may also begin to generate commiserators to join in their blaming and complaining.

It doesn’t have to be this way. If instead, we help people to Spiral Up out of the Fog of change. We can encourage them to become curious, empathetic, determined, or even excited about the opportunity that lies ahead. These feelings can spark positive self-talk such as: “it will be challenging, but we can do this together and I can help.”

So how do we do this as peers or as leaders?

Pay attention to the way we describe and communicate the change.

“We do not describe the world we see, we see the world we describe.” ~Joseph Jaworski

·       Speak in encouraging and positive terms

·       Listen to concerns, acknowledge feelings, and practice empathy and compassion

·       Like William Bridges describes in his book, Managing Transitions, communicate the 4 P’s—Purpose, Picture, Plan, and Part

·       Realize the difference between blaming and complaining and taking responsibility to bring forth issues in pursuit of solution (stirring the pot so the bottom doesn’t burn)

·       Set people up for self-accountability by ensuring they have the 5 C’s: Clarity, Compellingness, Competency, Commitment, and Confidence

That’s it for now. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel where I will post short videos with additional content on this subject.