Change

Articles, Anecdotes and Observations asking

„What More Can There Be?‟

Introduction

Alright, so apart from death and

taxes, the only other certainty in life

and work is „change‟; and as hard as

we might try (and some people really

try hard) it cannot be avoided.

So what is it about change that

unnerves and discomforts the majority

of people so much? True, that

uncertainty often makes life more

stressful and worrying and this in turn

affects our behaviour, attitude and

mindset negatively; forcing people to

revert to defensive learned

behaviours. More often than not,

human nature compels us to devote

great energy and effort to protect

the status quo (and our own perceived security) at all costs.

But is change always as bad or as threatening as our reactions to it might

suggest?

What if our energies were focused upon seeking the opportunities presented by

the inexorable process of change rather than railing against it?

Make no mistake, nobody is saying that it‟s always easy or enjoyable,

particularly in the current climate of escalating costs, reduced wages, job

losses, organisational upheaval and worse. But for a moment, let‟s look at this

issue from a different perspective.

In this collection of apocryphal blog* articles you will discover:

That Einstein was wrong; Not everyone agrees on where you are starting from;

The allure of trees; Slide rules are no longer used in exams; 3% of the population

are naturally dissatisfied; Every organisation has Superheroes; The „Sir Alex‟

Method; The benefits from not jumping into canals and... A Status Quo lyric!

Along with a number of other nuggets of inspiration to help you achieve more.

*„What More Can There Be?‟ is our Blogging Site and over the past couple of

years we have posted over 90 articles on a variety of subjects which we have

come across within our training and organisational development work. If you‟d

like to read more, please feel free at:

www.whatmorecantherebe.blogspot.com

Don‟t let one approach or solution

blind you to better options.

The 3M Story, 2002

Why Change?

If I hear yet another speaker quote Albert Einstein‟s definition of insanity as

„doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results‟, I

shall scream. Not because it‟s a statement I disagree with, more because it is

used „over and over again‟.

Interestingly Einstein assumed that the Universe was static! The Expansion

Paradigm developed by Edwin Hubble proved that the Universe is actually

constantly expanding, which led Einstein to concede that assuming the

Universe remained constant was perhaps his biggest blunder. The only real

constant is change itself.

Unfortunately people‟s desire to maintain equilibrium and have a high degree

of certainty is strong. Listen to those sages in every organisation who, for as

long as I‟ve drawn a pay packet, have uttered; „It‟s not as good as it used to

be, we‟re always changing things, we need a period of stability...‟. The second

constant is that change is uncertain.

If change is inevitable but we naturally

hang on to what we know because the

alternative is „the unknown‟, what will

force us to move? The Big Bang was the

violent starting point (the singularity) for

our constantly changing Universe, thus

what is also certain is that any

behavioural change also requires a

trigger point. That moment when we

become ready to accept that maybe,

just maybe, we could do something

different. We‟ve reached the point at

which it will only take a „nudge‟ to set us

in motion.

So far, it seems, all beyond our control.

Change happens, there will be a trigger point and the results will be uncertain.

It is how we perceive this inevitability that makes the difference, which makes

this a truly exciting time. Everyone accepts that whatever our organisation,

there will be change; the economy has provided the nudge. Now leaders can

design organisations, encourage mindsets and create processes which will

embrace the sentiment behind Einstein‟s oft plagiarised words. But beware:

Old habits die hard!

“Great spirits have always

encountered violent opposition from

mediocre minds.”

Albert Einstein

Don‟t look at the tree!

A very wise paragliding

instructor once gave me

some very sound advice.

He quite simply said „Don‟t

look at the tree‟. The tree

in question is on the edge

of the landing field right in

the centre of Interlaken,

Switzerland. As tourists sit in

the surrounding cafes and

bars sipping tea or having

a beer, soaking in the

spectacular surrounding

and views of the Eiger,

Monch and Jungfrau,

paraglider pilots are trying

to land in the field in front

of them. Nothing could be

more embarrassing or

dangerous than to crash

into this tree, which is why you tend to look at it.

Experience has now taught me that when you look at something as you are

about to land, „it‟ develops some sort of magnetic attraction which causes you

to end up in it, on it, or through it. This is not good if the „it‟ in question is a bog,

pond, hedge, wheat-field or cow! These are awkward but not usually life

threatening. So „don‟t look at the tree‟ makes a lot of sense.

When organisations set about their flight to improvement everyone has an

overwhelming and natural tendency to start to compile a list of all those things

that might go wrong. The starting point is often to highlight all those „trees‟ that

you might crash into. Trouble with „the board‟, „the unions‟, „planning‟,

„money‟, „time‟... Then there is the biggest tree of all, a mighty oak with

branches covering your landing zone ... „they won‟t like it‟. „They‟ are anyone

and everyone.

My paragliding instructor didn‟t leave me with paranoia of hitting the tree, he is

a brilliant instructor and gave an even better piece of advice which was „keep

your eye on your virtual landing spot at all times‟. There isn‟t a big red spot in

the middle of the field to aim at so you have to choose a spot on the grass

„your virtual landing spot‟ and aim at that.

When we start an improvement programme we need to keep our eye on what

we want to achieve. Always have the end goal in sight. If you do that then

there is every chance you will achieve what you want. If you get distracted

and start to look in the direction of your „tree‟ then that is where your focus is

and that‟s where you‟ll land.

Just to set the record straight I‟ve never hit the tree in Interlaken and luckily the

cow moved at the last minute but that was close!

If you don't know where you are

going, any road will get you there.

Lewis Carroll

In search of the truth

It was on a visit to a large

organisation that I discovered

there are three versions of the

same history. While this didn‟t

come as a surprise, it was a

revelation. My „Road to

Damascus‟ moment came as I

was waiting between meetings

in a communal area which

served two call-centres. The

only opportunity employees had

to make personal calls was

during their breaks and they had

to leave the office floor so they

wouldn‟t disturb their

colleagues. I‟d settled into a

comfortable chair to catch up on some notes, my reflections of leadership

throughout the organisation. As I digested the views of Directors, Senior

Managers and Team Leaders, the workforce came and inadvertently gave

their verdict.

Version 1: The history we want

„We are a people business‟ effused the Directors. Here was the „Party-line‟

postulated by consummate politicians. They told me what they thought I

wanted to hear. MBA‟s and leadership books were regurgitated, often

punctuated with quotes and namedropping. My word, they were a well read

group.

Version 2: The history we need

Senior Managers on the other hand described what they thought was

happening. They didn‟t try the academic one-upmanship of their seniors. They

did however have data... lots of data; staff surveys, customer surveys, attrition,

absence, focus-groups and good news stories. Evidence was abundant.

Interpretation however was skewed by the need to report how well things were

going.

Version 3: His-story

I couldn‟t help but catch the conversations people were having with friends

and family on their phones. After all they were only standing one or two metres

from where I was sitting. Their perspective on how they were managed, their

aspirations and their engagement with the organisation flowed out, no holds

barred. Language was colourful, animated and indeed, passionate. In

contrast to versions of history given by the Leadership team, comments were

mostly negative, many were bored, few felt they were participants. The

majority believed their sole contribution was simply to make up the numbers.

As FBI Agent Fox Mulder said whilst investigating the X –Files „The truth is out

there‟. It lies somewhere between these three versions. You just have to listen

hard enough in order to find it.

Argumentum ad populum – “If many

believe so, it is so.”

(But it‟s not necessarily the truth!)

Why change the rules?

My Grandfather was a highly skilled cabinet maker. He worked out of a small

workshop from where he produced fine furniture. His apprenticeship had been

long and exacting such that his skills were of the very highest standard.

I was with my father sorting through a trunk which contained some of his tools.

As we unwrapped oil soaked cloths to reveal beautiful tenon saws and

wooden planes I remarked that my grandfather would have turned in his grave

if he could see the power tools that unskilled people like me used these days.

He just laughed and confessed that grandfather‟s workshop was as automated

as it was possible to get. He made electric planes, band saws and many other

gizmos to make his work easier, faster and better.

At one time if you drove a motor car you had to have a man walk in front of

your vehicle with a flag to warn people and particularly horse riders that you

were approaching.

In exams you couldn‟t use an electronic calculator but you could do

calculations with a slide rule: a wide ruler with a slide-able central bar which

when lined up with its numerous scales allowed you to multiply numbers. When

used in

conjunction with a

book of logarithm

tables the young

mathematician

was able to

perform amazing

computations. Or

not. Thank

heavens that these

have been

confined to the

fires of hell!

History is littered

with examples of

how our lives

would be different if people hadn‟t challenged the rules, the social norms or (in

the case of my grandfather) established practice.

Many people have argued with me that rules are there for a reason. I accept

this up to a point. What we have to do is be prepared to challenge the rules

especially when we can‟t find improvements within established practice. How

many laws have been repealed as society moves on and they are no longer

appropriate?

There is always a better way. Achieving it might be painful but transformation

can‟t happen if you won‟t accept the possibility that the current rules might

need to change.

“Hell, there are no rules here - we're

trying to accomplish something.”

Thomas A. Edison

Antagonists of change:

Vinegar Veras

Welcome to the matriarchs of the shadow side, a group of people skilled at

undermining any change initiative. Ignore them at your peril because they

certainly won‟t ignore you.

Your shiny new change programme is ready for launch. It‟s going to vastly

improve the way you approach your business. Everyone has been consulted

and is apparently on board. Naturally there will be people with reservations,

some will want to see how it goes before they fully subscribe to your plan - this is

to be expected. Then there are those whose sole purpose in life is to

undermine. It doesn‟t really matter what it is, they are against it, or can see why

it shouldn‟t be allowed to work, they are organisational luddites.

If only it was this simple.

It‟s easy to handle sledge

hammer wielding

detractors because they

make a lot of noise. The

Vinegar Vera‟s are master

„well poisoners‟. They

don‟t reveal themselves,

ever. When you talk to

them they will be as nice

as can be to your face,

but then, as soon as you

turn away... You might

suspect their motives but

they are astute at slipping

away into the shadows.

They operate in small cells or cliques, recruiting followers from the ranks of the

disaffected. Picking them off one at a time as they reveal an opinion or

misgiving about what is happening. A little comment here, an observation

there is enough to prize the lid off a can of worms. Then they stand back and

watch the mayhem. Stirring occasionally when necessary to re-agitate

discontent...

Don‟t panic. Already you are thinking about who are your Vinegar Veras.

Once you become adept at spotting the signs, narrowing down the possible

ringleaders, you are in a position to deal with them. There are now two courses

of action:

Befriend a Vinegar Vera. Spot the waverers, work on them individually.

Personal attention makes them feel listened to and valued. Bring them back

ever so gently to your side.

Bring them into the open and force them to declare their hand. They will either

voice all their issues publicly which makes them easy to address or they will

reveal to your assembled audience their lack of support thus undermining their

undermining.

Don‟t ever think you don‟t have a Vinegar Vera problem; they are all around,

skulking in the shadows. Be afraid, be very afraid.

NB. (It is their matriarchal, nurturing behaviour rather than their gender that

distinguishes this group; male Vinegar Veras are just as common as their female

counterparts!)

3% of all people are naturally

dissatisfied.

CragRats Ltd analysis of 1200 people

in a three month study, 2005

Protagonists of change:

The Activist

Do you have a difficult challenge to overcome?

Do you need to take action now?

Do you want someone who will persist until the goal is achieved?

Then you want ... an activist.

Before we go any further, these are not „enthusiasts‟, you‟ll have to wait for

them in a future blog. Activists are quite different.

Let‟s imagine your ship is sinking in the middle of the English Channel. Do you

want to be surrounded by people who enthusiastically and tirelessly bail out

sea water with an espresso cup, or someone whose first thought is to find ways

to fix the leak?

Activists are a set of unique

people who generate

innovation in your organisation.

Many are unsung heroes,

unrecognised by managers, or

worse still, actively discouraged

because they threaten the

status quo. But, without their

new ideas the organisation will

fail to develop and will lose

ground to competitors.

Can you spot them? They are

an invaluable source of

innovation because they see

the big picture but are aware of

the situation and always looking

to solve problems rather than

spend hours talking about it. In

a meeting they work to

understand what is needed, often suspending judgement, they ask insightful

questions to clear away the debris so they can build a clear picture of what is

happening. Then, they act with purpose to get the job done, often showing

great political acumen to get people on side. Most importantly they are

prepared to take risks to bring about improvement.

The problem with activists is they are hard to control, which is why they often

get squashed by managers who don‟t share their vision or drive. They can be

seen as a threat, not only to their managers but also to the „way things are

round here‟. Given a chance they will shine. In fact, they should be positively

nurtured and encouraged because they are the ones that bring about true

creativity and positive change.

These organisational Superheroes are all around us just waiting to be asked to

demonstrate their special talents. All you have to do is create a culture where

they can thrive.

Thanks to Mike Rix for the ideas!

3% of all people are naturally

dissatisfied.

CragRats Ltd analysis of 1200 people

in a three month study, 2005

Leaders keep focused on

the goal (The 'Sir Alex'

Method)

The football season is well underway and it won‟t be long before some teams

are failing to match the dreams of their fans and owners. As is the tradition at

these times, when your team is doing badly, they have had some poor results

and your expectations of Premier League success are fading fast, it‟s the

manager‟s head that is called for. Is changing the leader the answer or is it a

need to do something differently. How many of these teams actually recover

from a manager merry-go-round?

Academic evidence (Bridgewater 2010) shows that a short term honeymoon

improvement over the first 12 games of a new manager‟s tenure is replaced by

a level of performance below that of before the change. The highest

performing organisations are those that develop a winning culture, where

everyone understands their long term vision, beliefs and values.

More interestingly, how many leaders

are able to change their approach,

mindset and behaviours to bring

about a better performance?

I was particularly struck by the

reaction of Sir Alex Ferguson after

Manchester United were so

comprehensively beaten by

Barcelona in the Champions League

final 2011. Just looking at his

demeanour suggested that he

recognised that even at their very

best his team wouldn‟t have won. The

standard of competition had been

raised and a new approach was

required in order to become world-

beaters again. There was no call for the leader to be changed, after all this

was an outstanding team. It was the leader that recognised the need to

change in order to compete with the best in the business.

It‟s a brave person who changes a successful team; there is so much to lose, so

little to gain. We often see successful businesses stagnate, afraid to do

anything different. We find good managers reluctant to adopt different

practices because they might give poorer results. What brilliant leaders like Sir

Alex have is a clear vision of what they want to achieve and they are not afraid

to challenge their own ways of doing things.

Their vision does not change, everyone understands the goals, they share the

values of the organisation, and they are not afraid to challenge their approach

in order to get a better result. If our market, the economic environment, our

competitors, or even our team changes then sticking remorselessly to the way

we know may well leave us heading for relegation or for the crowd baying for

our heads. Great leaders are always prepared to change their rules.

Are you able to follow Sir Alex‟s example?

Trust in leadership allows the team

members to suspend their questions,

doubts, and personal motives and

instead throw themselves into working

toward team goals.

Kurt T. Dirks, Simon Fraser University,

2000

Follow the Leader

In the days when

Health and Safety

allowed kids to race,

climb and jump

unsupervised, we

played a game called

‟follow the leader‟.

One person was

selected as the leader,

the rest followed and

copied their actions.

Some were brilliant

leaders; they

challenged us to push

our limits, encouraging

us to try something

new, different and

daring.

I was always an

enthusiastic follower until the occasion that one particular leader leapt from the

canal bridge to the tow path below, slipped and fell into the cold, dirty water.

There were lessons learned from the leadership game which are just as useful

today:

You don‟t need to know where you are going, just what you want to achieve:

Just because we have always been this way doesn‟t mean it is the only route.

A new way can be great fun.

Lead by example: It isn‟t an intellectual activity. You have to show your

commitment. When people trust and follow you, can they look you in the eye,

and see that you are emotionally committed to the cause.

Engage people: Look for ways to let them participate, join in, and influence

the journey.

Be aware of emotions: If you recognise somebody‟s emotional state then you

can choose the most effective ways of motivating them. How many times

have we found leaders expecting their teams to change before historical

baggage has been cleared?

Praise success: Quick wins and small victories as a team or from individuals

encourage everybody to work hard towards the goal.

Challenge to motivate: You never know what can be achieved unless you try

something different.

Support innovators: these are the people who will find the new ways, those

routes that others may require encouragement to try but which might take you

to new heights.

Encourage a sense of urgency to do something now rather than letting the

moment pass: Momentum is difficult to initiate but once you are on the move it

is easier to maintain.

Be prepared to swim: The adventure sometimes takes unexpected turns.

The most sited cause of significant

change in the way they feel was not

pay, benefits, or work overload. It was

the behaviour of the manager or

supervisor (49%)!

Cindy Ventrice, Do You Feel Valued

At Work? 2010

Leaders as the custodians

of „The way we do things

around here‟

Rules evolve from the

need to control. Often

people governed by the

rules have no idea where

they came from. Why 30

mph as the speed limit in a

built up area? Why does

the shooting season start

on the 12th August not the

11th? Why is 9:00pm the

TV watershed? Why do I

need a licence to have a

radio station?

Once the rules are

established we get

custodians of the rules;

usually the leaders in an organisation; those people who have a stake in

maintaining the rules and identify with them. They become emotionally

attached to the prescribed way. Their function is to continually limit what can

happen and as people start to push the boundaries, so new rules are created

to stop this. We find rules prescribing „best practice‟ which means that any

other „good practice‟ is not allowed. And so a patriarchal mindset prevails: „we

do it this way because we know best‟.

Interestingly if you read the above paragraph again from the perspective of

your own personal rules it becomes easy to understand why people find it hard

to break from the norm. We create our own set of immutable legislation to

which we become emotionally attached.

The odds are stacked against making a step-change in performance. The rules

are set either formally or informally. They are governed by ourselves and others.

They are also used as a credible excuse for inertia, so even when we can see

that something is not functioning as we want, we claim that our hands are tied;

there can be no more.

Where are the brave Leaders who recognise that this is a time of opportunity?

How often does a genuine challenge to the way we do things arise, giving us

the chance to question the rules we work within and those we set ourselves?

Maybe this is the time for Leaders to change from being custodians of the rules

to become promoters of innovation.

„Cos everybody has sometimes broke

the rules‟

Status Quo – ‘Legendary?‟ Rock Group

In Summary

Change is a natural

phenomenon that constantly

happens all around us. It is not

change that causes

organisations issues but the

perception of people who

struggle with the uncertainty it

creates.

Our work with behaviour change

shows that trigger points will

occur at which point people are

ripe to take action. The current

cultural climate is an ideal time because everyone is expecting change.

We may lose the potential benefits because people are tied to rules, either

of their own making, or their organisations‟ making. It‟s called established

practice and people, organisations employ defenders of the rules to

prevent innovation to established practice.

During a period of change we tend to focus on the negatives and the

problematic issues. The proverbial „trees‟. Whereas we are most likely to

achieve success if we focus on the potential gains.

During such an uncertain period there will be many perceptions of how it is

going. Achieving a unity of perception is important and a real test of how

good communication is in your organisation.

There will be

people whose best interest

and personal nature lies in

undermining the

organisation, their

managers and everything

that is going on. In difficult

times they can attract

recruits to their cause very

easily. Beware the

„Vinegar Veras‟.

Hidden gems abound in activists. Often stifled by managers who see them

as hard work and a threat to their status. Find and polish them so they can

shine.

Organisations need great leaders at all levels during times of change. Be

prepared to be flexible in approach but inflexible in values and vision.

Leaders are role models, everything they do is observed by everyone, at all

times. If you want them to improve performance then be aware that the

evidence shows this change is directly linked to levels of trust. All leaders at

some point will slip and fall in their „canal‟. How the leader reacts to this

can reinforce trust or throw cold water on it.

We are genuinely at a point where change can create new, exciting and

genuinely brilliant opportunities.

For further information on Paradigmantics, our training and development

programmes, and how we can help you and your organisation to make

positive change a reality for your Leaders, Managers and Workforce, please

don‟t hesitate to contact us at: info@paradigmantics.com

„Always travel a different route home.

That way may be more interesting.‟

(Bill Bradley, Cyclist)

© Paradigmantics Limited

Registered Company Number 6932992

Tele: 0845 519 3357