7 Ways to Turn Your Organization Upside Down

One of the major obstacles to change and growth in an organization is something we call “Organizational Inertia.” In physics, inertia is: the tendency of matter to remain at rest if at rest, or, if moving, to keep moving in the same direction, unless affected by some outside force.” In common language this means that people – especially in bureaucratic systems – will repeat old behavior and defend the status quo even when they are not getting the results they want.

One way to create change, then, is to exert an “outside force” on the existing system. In other words, change the workspace and you’ll change the way people behave in that space.

Seven Ways You Can Turn Your Organization Upside Down and Backwards to create new perspective:

1. Begin every meeting with a “good news report” instead of a “what’s broken” report. You’ll shift the mood of the room into a more creative, optimistic space, which will lead to better problem-solving and faster-decision-making.
2. Shift primary responsibility for employee assessment from managers to their team members. I speak from ten years of personal experience when I promise you that (once people receive basic training in the process) the quality and depth of performance feedback will INCREASE when individuals shift from passive receivers to active partners in their performance appraisal process.
3. Add an Upward Appraisal to your feedback system.  If you’re really serious about improving leadership in your organization, add an element of upward feedback to encourage frank conversation about teamwork (even entry-level folks have great ideas about what their manager could be doing to support them better!)
4. Write “contracts” with project team members, versus impose deliverables..  Goals created in a conversation of mutual commitment are more likely to energize AND get met, on time, than goals imposed from “on high” without negotiation.
5. Engage team members in the process of selecting new members of the team, or even (gasp) their new boss.  When people are invested in the hiring decision, they will view that person’s success in a different – and more positive — way.
6. Ask people what they think BEFORE you make your decision. Yep, that’s what I said.  Hold as a possibility that you DON’T know everything!
7. Hold (at least some of) your meetings standing up. Notice how the energy of a meeting shifts and becomes more efficient when the physical props change.

ACTION ITEM: Hold this question in front of you for the next month: How might I challenge the status quo, shift the environment, or create new ways for people to work together?

Remember, Leadership is not about a title: Anyone can be a leader who deliberately seeks ways to challenge organizational inertia, and strives to help others step up and take a more active and engaged role in their work.

How do you react when your world view is challenged?

WARNING: THIS POST MAY CAUSE YOU TO REACT STRONGLY – OR NOT. Please read the notes in blue before you read the main article.

This post is not about happiness, but it is about coaching. It is about noticing something about yourself — specifically, how do you react when you are confronted with something that really pushes your buttons?

I follow Seth Godin’s blog.  Seth is a prolific, creative, and in-your-face-highly-provocative thinker.  He challenges other’s perspectives.  He provokes and argues opposite angles.  I follow him because much of his work is in marketing, an area I study for my business.

A couple days ago, Seth published a piece that really challenged my thinking. When I followed the links to his data sources, I discovered some really vitriolic comments and a lot of fear and anger… not because of Seth, but because of the topic.   I had to read his post and the source articles several times to even absorb the message, because it is so wildly different from my world view and what I believe.

WHY AM I RE-POSTING HIS STUFF?

Because this is at the heart of real change. One the most significant obstacles to real change in human beings is that we believe stuff — and when our core beliefs are challenged, we tend to react by either ignoring new data that disproves our beliefs OR we vehemently argue against the new belief, to prove that we are right.

In my coaching, I help my clients step back and OBSERVE themselves, and notice their own beliefs and their behaviors and reactions. When you can observe yourself objectively, you become incredibly powerful at making new choices, considering new possibilities, or changing your behavior.  But first, you must NOTICE how you react and how you believe.

I invite you to read this post AS A COACHING EXERCISE.  If you are curious, follow the links to the Stats and the Images (below).  I do NOT advocate one point of view over another, but I ask the same question as Seth does:  How does this resonate with you?

Again, I am not making a statement — this is just a coaching exercise. See my questions at the end, in blue.

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The triumph of coal marketing

Do you have an opinion about nuclear power? About the relative safety of one form of power over another? How did you come to this opinion?

Here are the stats, and here’s the image. A non-exaggerated but simple version of his data:

For every person killed by nuclear power generation, 4,000 die due to coal, adjusted for the same amount of power produced… You might very well have excellent reasons to argue for one form over another. Not the point of this post. The question is: did you know about this chart? How does it resonate with you?

Vivid is not the same as true. It’s far easier to amplify sudden and horrible outcomes than it is to talk about the slow, grinding reality of day to day strife. That’s just human nature. Not included in this chart are deaths due to global political instability involving oil fields, deaths from coastal flooding and deaths due to environmental impacts yet unmeasured, all of which skew it even more if you think about it.

This chart unsettles a lot of people, because there must be something wrong with it. Further proof of how easy it is to fear the unknown and accept what we’ve got.

I think that any time reality doesn’t match your expectations, it means that marketing was involved. Perhaps it was advertising, or perhaps deliberate story telling by an industry. Or perhaps it was just the stories we tell one another in our daily lives. It’s sort of amazing, even to me, how much marketing colors the way we see the world–our reaction (either way) to this chart is proof of it.

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OK, end of Seth’s post.  Here are your questions:

1. Were you able to OBSERVE your reaction, or were you subject to your reaction?
2. Were you able to respect this point of view as a valid one (even if you disagree?) or did you feel compelled to immediately argue with it?

If the latter, pay attention, as you may be doing that in many parts of your life and be totally unaware of how rigidly you see the world.  This is not about being right or wrong, but about being able to hold multiple, sometimes conflicting view points so you can hold more reasonable conversations and make your decisions from a more informed/wider base.

OK.  Take a deep breath.  Thanks for playing the Leadership Game.

Do it backwards for a Change!

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a rut, seemingly unable to change a habit or a feeling? Have you heard the quote, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” and thought, “What does that mean for me?”

One way to creatively approach any stubborn situation is to Reverse It – do it backwards, upside down, or from an opposite point of view.  The Reverse It technique pulls you out of the fog of Habit and helps you notice or shift things that were not possible when you were following your usual process.

I use the Reverse It technique in many areas of my life. For instance, when I find myself getting bored with my fitness routines, I can change up simply by starting at the end.  When I walk, I nearly always turn left out of my driveway, but when I turn right instead I have a totally different walking experience.

What are some ways you might Reverse It to shake up a part of your life that you want to change?

1. Instead of trying to take a deep breath to calm down in the middle of a tough conversation, try taking a minute BEFORE the conversation to calm and center you.
2. If getting to the gym is not working for you on your current schedule, flip your visit to the other end of your day and see if shifts your motivation and/or energy.
3. Start a few conversations by stating what YOU want instead of first dancing around and trying to figure out what the other person wants.
4. Park at the back of the lot instead of the front, and use the extra minute of walking to let your body warm up.
5. Come in to a building via a different entrance and notice how things look from a different perspective. For example, enter your workplace via the customer/patient entrance vs. the employee entrance.  Or use the front door vs. the side door of your church/temple and notice the new view.
6. If you’re rushed in the morning, but then spend an hour glazed over in front of the TV at night, try reversing that hour of your day – move up your bedtime and “flip” an extra 30 minutes into your morning.
7. Instead of waiting for someone to recognize or appreciate you, reverse the conversation and take time every day to offer a compliment or gratitude to someone else.

When you change the way you approach a situation, you create new points of view that can lead to different outcomes and different emotions.

An Action Step

Back to that quote:  stop the insanity of repeating old, ineffective behavior!

Pick an aspect of your life or work that is “not working” for you right now.  Step back and ask, “In what way(s) might I Reverse this to create a different motivation, reaction, or perspective for myself?” Then put that opposite into practice a few times and notice what you learn from the experience.  If your outcomes change, then you have a winner!

I’ve Joined the Cult of Apple!

For years I’ve carried on a good-natured banter with my friends and relatives who belonged to what I called The Cult of Apple. They were far too satisfied with their computing experiences for me to believe it was real.  There had to be a catch, right?

I was an Unbeliever.

Someone gave me an old iPod Nano, with which I consumed audiobooks while I worked out.  Soon I graduated to a full iPod to hold my 6,000+ songs, and fell in love with podcasts and playlists.

Then I started loading teleclass recordings, and my iPod became a legitimate business tool. As more colleagues converted their office systems to Apple products and spoke with actual JOY about their experience, I began to think, “Hmm… maybe it’s more than hype…maybe there’s some real advantages???”

My family gifted me with an iPad last Christmas, which opened up a new world of accessibility and portability, including a means for devouring books via my iBook and Kindle apps.  It also syncs seamlessly with my music and audio files.  Nice.

Last week, my four-year-old LG mobile officially died.  I’d been in denial for weeks, but as more and more buttons stopped working, I had to face reality: I needed a new phone.  At the Verizon store I considered multiple alternatives, and in the end, noticing how the employees themselves were salivating over the iPhone, I decided to make the leap.

I joined the Apple Cult.  Oh, My, Goodness! This is the most complex technology I’ve ever carried in my pocket, yet the conversion was painless.  I brought it home, plugged it in to my computer, and iTunes asked, “do you want this to look like your iPad?”  I said, yes, and in 30 minutes I had a fully-functional, totally synced iPhone in my hands…. And in just a few days, it has changed my life!

My six-year old laptop has aging “issues,” and my desktop has had its brains replaced twice and keeps trying to commit suicide. I hear the siren call of the Apple cult, drawing me in…

Change Starts With YOU

New habits can be tough to change in the workplace. People like predictability. When you show up differently – even if the change is for the better – it is still different, and you may feel pressure from others to go back to how you were “before.”

Still, change starts with you. Choose a specific situation, conversation, or relationship that sometimes creates difficulty or unhappiness for you. Notice how you behave or choose in that situation. Now, notice the internal conversation you have with yourself each time it occurs. Finally, try shifting that conversation to something more positive.

An executive client was having difficulty working with his CEO because he felt the boss was too hard to pin down. His perception was that the CEO changed her mind too often and was unable to make a decision. He found himself so focused on taking notes and analyzing ideas that he was constantly exhausted after their meetings.

We looked at the situation from different angles and my client considered the fact that the CEO, a high-energy extravert, was perhaps just “thinking out loud” and did not need him to create action plans. So he shifted his internal conversation from, “Oh no, here we go again” to “Let’s have some fun with this!” He stopped taking notes and began to practice active listening when the boss went off on tangents.

A few weeks later she thanked him for being such a great listener, saying, “I really appreciate being able to talk things over with you. Sometimes I just need to sort out the issues before I talk with the rest of the team.”

Practice does not make perfect. Practice does, however, build capacity and can serve to recalibrate us at whatever level we aim.

Remember, Leadership is not about a title. Anyone can be a leader who stretches new “muscles” and practices new behaviors that improve their relationships with others.

Create Change One Tiny Step at a Time

A moment, take 1: I’m watching my four-month old grandson as he flails his hands about, trying so hard to get his fist into his mouth.  He fails 100% of the time.  He hits his cheek, his forehead, his ears.

A moment, take 2: I’m swimming laps in the pool, lost in thought about my day.  I glance at the clock and realize I’ve lost track of time.  I’ve just swum a half mile on autopilot.

A moment, take 3: My client shows up excited to tell me how well she did on her presentation to the executive board.  Every day for the past month she has practiced a calm, grounded body so that she could deliver her message from a place of confidence instead a place of panic.

A moment, take 4: One month later, my grandson reaches out with purpose, grasps a plastic ring and, with intense concentration, moves it purposefully and directly toward his mouth.  He succeeds every time.

Your Body, Brain, and Heart Are the Same System

My colleague who studies Neurobiology says, “Nothing changes unless the brain changes.” A colleague who uses martial arts in his leadership work says, “Every habit starts and ends in the body.”  Hmm.

Who is more correct? I believe they both hold the truth. You cannot change your behavior JUST by thinking about it; you must actually DO something with your body, creating muscle memory.  AND since you are essentially one big nervous system, everything you do engages your brain and creates new neural connections.

This is why physical practices and movement are equally important for those seeking to change a habit, become better leaders, or live a happier life. Whatever you seek to change, you must think it AND do it, many times.

After counting my grandson’s fidgeting one day, I calculated that he did that “hand-to-mouth” move over 1,000 times before he could hit the target.  He’ll repeat the same relentless practice for rolling over, standing up, and speaking.

My ability to swim on autopilot happened the same way. Having swum competitively for eight years, plus some practice for another 30, I estimate I’ve done 500,000+ flip turns in my life – my body can execute a clean flip off the wall without my even having to think it.

This is the essence: You become what you repeatedly do. The corollaries: You ARE what you’ve repeatedly done in the past; and, You can BECOME what you repeatedly do from today forward.  Muscle memory, emotional memory, brain chemistry – all part of the same system.

Seven Places to Start a New Habit

Here are some simple emotional practices that can help recalibrate your base mood.  Approach these with an intention to engage your physical senses which will influence your emotional state and rewire your brain.

1. Smile more often
   (it improves “muscle memory” on your face and invokes positive feelings)
2. Keep a Joy List or write down daily blessings
   (the physical writing engages your body as it tones your “awareness muscle”)
3. Take two deep breaths and relax your shoulders, ten times a day
   (trains your body to find a calm place under pressure)
4. List what’s RIGHT in a situation before listing the problems
   (balances your attention and your perspective)
5. Count to ten before reacting to any situation
   (trains your emotions to wait – until your brain catches up)
6. Hold your arms at your sides – uncrossed — in all conversations
   (helps your body experience the feeling of openness/acceptance to other ideas and people and improves your listening skills)
7. Hang out with people who already live in the place you want to live
   (As mammals, we learn our emotional cues from others.  If you want to be more positive, hang out with optimists.  If you want to eat better, hang out with the health buffs)

Consider a physical or emotional aspect of yourself that you want to recalibrate. What is a practice that you might use to help you get used to a new way of being? Start with just one tiny thing – one food, one habit, one choice, one relationship, even just one word you use. Shift it, then practice it regularly from this day forward. Just one…

Can You Relate? Practicing Happiness

I recently appeared on Coach Kathy Dawson’s new daytime talk show, Can You Relate? The focus of this six-minute segment: to improve your relationships, to start with you. Here are a couple tools to help you build stronger Positive Emotion Muscles!

Simple Instructions for Happiness

Here it is, in flowchart form.

(A friend sent me this graphic, and I could not resist posting it, even at the risk of violating a copyright.  It’s just too perfect!)