Identifying the “elephants in the room”
The “elephants” are often something people dread or hesitate to speak about.  For instance, everyone on a tri-parish planning team might “know” that all three parishes cannot survive because of changing demographics, but no one wants to bring the subject up.  Once it is brought to the table, creative solutions can be sought.  A lot of unneeded anxiety can be avoided by surfacing what needs to be addressed.  Too much energy is often wasted on avoidance.

Using geography 
Using geography refers to getting people out of their seats showing where they stand on a continuum of preferences.  For instance, one may want the whole group to see where people stand on a “change continuum” with those who love change at one end and those who resist it with a vengeance at the other end.  There are no “right” places on the continuum and good discussions often follow as people describe where they are on the line.  Continuums can also be used for showing preferences for various decisions or models.  Circles can be used to have people take an opposite tact than what they are currently espousing.  Standing on one side they can argue for the value of certain points.  When they are asked to take the opposite point of view they move to the other side of the circle, etc.

Ritualizing good times and bad 
Rituals have power to heal and to energize.  Celebrating the end of a planning phase with a meal together points to the bonding that is happening, the energy that is generated and the future that is hoped for.  Sharing artifacts, lighting candles, blessing with water, anointing with oil, “burning the old” are all deeply held Christian symbols that help identify communities of faith and help heal the losses and the hurts.  Many non-profits also employ rituals to enhance their planning journeys.

Prioritizing 
In all planning processes, there is the need to prioritize.  All possible strategies are not of equal value.  Sometimes some things must happen before others. To avoid loading too many action steps on the first year of a plan, prioritize.  One way to do this, or at least to begin the discussion is to use “dot stickers.” If there are ten things which need to be ranked, give each participant 3-5 dotes to put on the items they think are most critical. Add the dots per item and initiate a discussion based on which items got the most dots and consequently mat be considered a priority.

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

Motivation
Getting people to realize and accept the fact that now is the time to plan can be a major hurdle for some. A short film “We are the Ones” (Star Thrower) can inspire the tepid to “let go of the shore” and jump in the river because now is the hour! Putting off planning can be a recipe for disaster. Planning with a group can provide the support and imagination to build a strong plan.

User Friendly Data
Planning needs to be built on reality. Reality is found in facts, figures, and attitudes. Facts and figures can be graphed to make them easily accessible. Attitudes can be measured on Likert Scales or agree/disagree statements. Whatever can get to the heart of the matter quickly so people know the reality they are dealing with needs to be employed.

Solidarity with the Past
A brief and creative “history lesson” showing the roots of the organization, noting its purposes, the changing times, the presenting opportunities and challenges can give people a sense of solidarity with those who have gone before them.

Prayer and Faith Sharing
For faith based organizations, taking time to reflect, pray and share is at the heart of sharing the past, living in the present and being animated for a great future. For organizations that are not faith based, the same pattern of reflecting on the past to shed light on the present and prepare the group for the future is worthwhile and provides a sense of stability. At the same time it gives confidence to move into uncharted waters.

Capturing Wisdom
Planning, while logical, is not always linear. To help creativity blossom have a “Wisdom Wall” of newsprint prominently displayed. Distribute colorful “post-its” and invite planners to add to the Wisdom Wall as ideas come to them. Often it is the “what if…” ideas that are generated which become the heart of creative planning. Provide time for all to stroll past the Wisdom Wall for ideas.

Next: Five more best practices.

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

Five steps can be taken to lessen the stress brought about by transitions in the work force:

First, it is important for the leader or leadership team, whether it be CEOs, pastors, principals, bishops or others in leadership positions to create and exhibit an attitude of caring. Acknowledging the pain and suffering the new situation is generating is a first step. Being available to employees and recognizing their concerns goes a long way in letting people know you care.

Second, listen deeply and demonstrate that you have heard the distresses, the hurts, the perplexities. Deep listening means standing in the shoes of the other as he or she struggles with the necessities such as health insurance, paying mortgages, tuitions, etc., or in the case of restructuring of jobs, the need to learn new skills or work in new departments and augment relationships.

Third, engage in dialogue about needs and concerns. Some of the dialogue needs to focus on internal issues such as timelines, ideas for next steps, reducing stress, building a positive momentum. If jobs are being eliminated, some dialogue needs to be concentrated on external needs such job transitions and practical items such as severance pay and health insurance, etc.

Fourth, secure transition resources. It is important to transition well, even when resources are limited. Providing for sessions dealing with loss and letting go for all employees is important. Offering inservices for those involved in the new structure makes fresh beginnings possible for veteran as well as new employees. Recognizing feelings as well as being clear about the purpose and direction of the new entity is important. For instance, if parishes are to merge, or departments be reconfigured, or hospitals are to be consolidated, it is important for the employees to have some input into the future realities. This increases ownership and decreases resistance.

Fifth Max DePree in Leadership is an Art, states the first job of the leader is to define reality and the last is to express gratitude. Genuine expressions of gratitude, made as specific as possible, are extraordinarily valuable during times of transition. It is one thing to lose one’s job due to economic conditions, personnel decisions or advanced technology. It is another to lose it with no sense that one has made significant contributions to the organization. Genuine expressions of gratitude are extremely significant in helping both individuals and organizations move forward.

The pain of transitions can never be eliminated. However, by considering the steps outlined above, a leader can truly make a difference in how people and companies move forward.

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

At the workshop, he shared 14 values or guiding principles of conduct to improve the way we work together. I found these principles to be practical and something each of us can use to improve our lives at work.

Inclusion, Collaboration, Teams and Networks, Vision
These four principles illustrate that the most effective workplaces are those where everyone feels included and has a role in contributing to the mission of the organization. The principles of inclusion, collaboration and teams remind me of how much more we achieve when we work together than if we try to go it alone. Vision is a critical element–with a shared vision, people have more energy and higher morale because they are working for something beyond just their own self-interest.

Celebration of diversity, Process-awareness, Open and honest communication, Risk-taking
When trust and respect are high, diversity–or “all the ways we are different”–leads to a richer work environment where differences add to the group’s success rather than distract from it. The values of process-awareness and open & honest communication illustrate that how we work with each other is just as important as the results we achieve. When people can converse respectfully and address conflicts in good faith, the bottom-line results are greater. Risk-taking is important–we need to be willing to ask the “what-if” questions and even be the one lonely dissenter when everyone else in the group is thinking alike.

Individual and team ownership of results, Paradoxical problem-solving, Everyone is a leader
Individual and team ownership of results means that it is important for those we work with to feel individual success as well as the team’s success–the outcome is fewer “silos” at work and more examples of thinking together. Paradoxical problem-solving indicates that one size doesn’t fit all–every situation needs fresh consideration of alternatives to find effective solutions. Everyone on the team has the gifts to contribute to the success of the whole, and therefore everyone needs the opportunity to exercise effective leadership.

Personal growth and satisfaction, Seeing conflict as an opportunity, Embracing change
The workplace is most enjoyable when people are continually learning and growing, and the more that people enjoy their work the more they contribute to a positive, productive workplace. To see conflict as an opportunity requires “super-vision” where differences are not a roadblock but a stepping stone to transform the challenge of conflict into opportunities for learning, insight, and growth. Workers that embrace change are able to move beyond the status quo into the possibility of discovering something that can better promote the mission of the organization.

I encourage you all to read Ken Cloke’s work. He combines a wealth of organization experience with hard-earned wisdom that can help us all improve our workplaces.

John Reid, Senior Consultant, Mediator
The Reid Group

Groups can be understood as a collection of people: carpoolers, bus riders, fellow airline passengers, etc. Teams, however, are groups with a shared purpose and a clear understanding of roles and expectations. One such team is a symphony. If every musician came to practice doing their own thing, or if they only want to play the violin, there would be no beautiful music.

The same is true for any effective team, whether in the family, the workplace or the larger community. These teams need to focus on their purpose or mission and clarify the roles, responsibilities and expectations for each member of the team. When that work is done, teams are able to thrive and make a significant impact.

Even when the purpose and roles are clear, however, it is important to understand that all teams go through stages of development. B. J. Tuckman describes four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming and performing.

• The forming stage address the factors that help people feel they belong to the team and are respected as contributing members.
• Storming deals with the inevitability of conflict and the experiences of difference on a team. The more that conflict can be welcomed as leading to superior decision-making, the more that the collective wisdom of the team can be brought to bear on those decisions.
• In the norming stage, teams identify their guidelines of behavior (e.g., we begin and end meetings on time, or we take time for personal check-in at the beginning of meetings, or we welcome conflict as well as life-giving humor as important contributors to teamwork).
• The performing stage focuses on what Stephen Covey calls the two bottom lines of any organization: the promotion and enhancement of relationships and the accomplishment of results.

A commitment to building strong, effective and mission-focused teams is well worth it.? The results will make, like the best symphonies, beautiful music.

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

We resonate with the words from the Center for Ethical Leadership, when it describes two understandings of leadership: Transactional Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership.

• Transactional leadership is concerned with “transactions” — the business of daily organizational life.
• Transformational leadership seeks to change the status quo for the common good.

While we have mastered the operational and technical transactions of leadership, we have a long way to go in helping people engage in personal transformation. Consequently, sustaining leadership in the future will depend on our ability to master the development of the interior aspects of leadership. Fundamentally, sustainable leadership is an ongoing conversation with the self and the enterprise so that the capacity of a leader and organization may continue to grow and adapt.

Sustaining heart in the leadership journey
It takes great heart to offer acts of leadership. The stresses of leadership can be severe because leaders are always failing somebody, shouldering the pains and aspirations of an organization or community, and frustrating at least some people within it.

At the heart of sustaining your leadership, then, is preserving your sense of purpose. Commit the time, perhaps with the help of a professional executive coach, to understand the stresses of your particular leadership context. Remember to pace the work and respect the pains and loss of change. Know your tolerances, your triggers and your hungers. Be sure to distinguish your “self” from your role. Listen to yourself as data, and trust it. Have a sanctuary and use it. Lastly, surround yourself with allies and confidantes, and know the difference. (The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, 2009)

You and your leadership are valuable. If you care for yourself as you care for others, the gifts, strengths and talents you have been given will continue to be formed and sustained for the important work to which you have been called.

Tom Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

Communication bonds people because it promotes transparency, articulates rationale, is grounded in active listening and has the potential to galvanize energy and direct it toward the future living out of the mission.

Active listening needs to focus on the impact specific changes will have on certain people, departments or, if applicable, the organization as a whole.

Show concern for those who are having a hard time dealing with change. Imagine walking in their shoes. See what can be done within reason to help them adjust. If the change “looks like it means more work,” try to highlight that once the change is implemented, there will be things the staff can stop doing. For instance, acknowledge that using new technology may mean a sharp learning curve for some. However, results in six months will show the value of the change.

It is important to articulate the benefits of the proposed change but it is also important to explain what the costs are of not making the change. In a health care institution, for example, not making changes in how record-keeping is done could lead to increased vulnerability to patients’ health and well-being. It could leave the institution susceptible to lawsuits for negligence, staff layoffs and generally harm the reputation of the institution.

Increase regular communication during times of change. Consider including a question-and-answer column regarding the change in employee newsletters. Publicly commend individuals and teams who are implementing the change well. Proclaim the modifications to the planned change that are being made based on employee suggestions. Express gratitude to all who are making the changes work, while acknowledging that change is not easy.

Participation engages the heads and hearts of people. In a genuinely safe environment, it invites ideas, asks people to share fears or concerns and acts in such a way that people know they are heard and authentically appreciated. Participation fosters on-going evaluation of the change, is open to modifications of the change based on the experience of those involved in implementation. Participation expresses appreciation for all the efforts put forth to make the change successful and further the mission of the organization.

Education builds the individual’s, the department’s and the organization’s capacity to grow with the change, gain added skills and knowledge and implement the change so that it garners the best energy of those involved in making it happen. Education also proclaims the rationale for the change in a way that is easily understood by those affected. Education connects the anticipated change to a deeper fostering of the mission.

Yes, it is true that facilitating change involves hard work in order to produce a positive set of outcomes. However, if we view resistance as our foe, then the work will be even harder and take a longer period of time. Strange as it may seem to some, viewing resistance to change as our friend is a key ingredient in the formula for having a change process to help leaders and organizations experience growth-filled and productive results.

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

Leaders likely can add to the list of reasons why previous change efforts did not succeed to the hoped-for degree. However, turning these barriers into bridges will take communication, participation and education.

Coming up next:  Keys to Overcoming Resistance to Change

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

John Reid, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

Working with difficult conversations, stressful situations, challenging personalities and strong emotions is not easy and can take a lot of energy. Whether as a counselor, a leader, a facilitator or a parent, a person is subjected to repeated demands that make claims on one’s resources of time, attention and ability to repeatedly respond to changing circumstances.

Where do you get your energy?   How do you renew your energy?   Practices of self-care and renewal are not selfish. Instead, they are necessary to replenish one’s energy for the work of bridging divides and working toward mutual agreement.

So where to begin?

The Basics:

• Proper Rest
• Diet/Nutrition
• Exercise

It only stands to reason that when one of these is out of balance it takes more energy to simply to get through the day. When these are in balance a person has more energy to bring to life.

Are you getting proper rest? Are you maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet? Are you getting regular exercise? What is one action commitment you need or are willing to make?

Practices of Renewal

• Reading–making time to read that supports your learning and growth as a human being
• Reflection–do you take time to reflect on the events of the day? When was the last time you stopped to take in a sunrise or moonrise? How regularly do you make time for silence?
• Writing/journaling–do you have a book or notebook that you can jot down your thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams as you notice them from day to day?
• Music–what kind of music do you like? How consistently do you make time to be still and let the music speak to your spirit?
• Meditation/mindfulness practice–have you befriended your breath? Practices of attention can be relaxing and refreshing. Following the rhythm of your breathing in quiet or in activity can be very rejuvenating.
• Time spent in nature–whether it be going for a walk, sitting by a body of water or pulling off the road to catch a viewpoint–any of these can be restful and restorative times.
• What’s missing? What other ways might you renew your energy?

So what does your menu of renewal practices look like? When was the last time you did them? What would help you be more consistent and frequent in practicing them?

Tom Reid, Senior Consultant, Mediator
The Reid Group

This means being available for staff meetings, sitting in the cafeteria with different groups and inviting conversation about their concerns. It may mean working with the human resource department to set up times when individuals or groups can gather to discuss various aspects of the transition journey.

Major changes, especially if they involve a change in staffing, are very stressful for both those leaving an organization and those remaining. Beyond offering severance packages, the appropriate use of stories, symbols, gifts and gratitude will reflect the organization’s respect for all who have contributed to its mission. Naming and grieving losses and hurts empower people to let them go.

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group