Leadership is necessary and noble work–and risky. Leadership is fundamentally about purpose and possibility, which makes leadership an intimately human endeavor. Leaders are often left exposed, and most knowingly assume this risk for something more. Thus, “clarifying the values that orient your life and work and identifying larger purposes to which you might commit are courageous acts.” (The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, 2009)

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

We believe resistance to change presents an opportunity for transformation. It has the potential to make stronger, more effective individuals, departments and organizations. The transformation tools are communication, participation and education.

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

(Adapted from “Resistance to Change:  Friend or Foe?,” by Maureen Gallagher and John Reid, Health Progress, July-August 2011)
 
Leaders in values-based organizations are commonly called to a transformational form of leadership that seeks to change the status quo for the common good. Transformational leadership focuses on the mission, and it makes decisions based on furthering the viability of the mission. Inevitably, these decisions regarding changes will bring with them various forms of resistance.
 
Change is never easy, even when we seek it, because it always involves some loss or letting go of what has been. Resistance almost always accompanies change. Active resistance takes many forms, from raised voices in conflict to clinging to “the way we have always done things around here” to gossiping, complaining, lowered morale and more.  Passive resistance often is reflected in negative non-verbal actions by staff when asked to implement a specific change or by outright refusal to cooperate with a proposed new course of action.
 
In our experience, resistance is too often perceived by leaders as a negative factor in organizational life. They believe it is something that must be stamped out for positive change and growth to occur. Those who resist are sometimes perceived to be the “foe” or “enemies.”
 
We respectfully disagree that resistance to change is always a negative factor, even though it is often challenging. We believe resistance to change can most definitely be our friend. Anticipating resistance to change and appreciating various forms of resistance is an important element helping organizations, departments and in individuals grow stronger in times of change.
 
As change consultants, we have had the opportunity to work with many leaders and organizations around change and transition processes. Some of these processes have involved the merger of departments or even entire institutions, while others have focused on the transition of key leaders or the changing of organizational cultures. Through this work, we have identified reasons why these important change processes fail to achieve the desired results. These include:
 
High levels of resistance
Commitment to and resistance to change come in many levels, from enthusiasm from those who are willing to help it work, to those who are hesitant, indifferent, uncooperative, opposed and downright hostile. The latter will often do everything in their power to block the change. With good communication, participation and education, those who are hesitant, indifferent and uncooperative usually can be led to accept the change and work with it, sometimes even improving on the planned change. Those who are openly opposed or hostile may, after the organization has exhausted all its approaches to get buy-in for the change, need to be given options, including leaving the organization.
 
Lack of effective planning
Anticipated change that is not well planned invites resistance. Planned change which involves participation of those affected by the change is a sure way to lessen resistance.
 
Inconsistent or poor leadership
Constantly changing leadership or leadership that is too laissez-faire does not bode well for leading change. Trust and confidence are often lacking in such situations.
 
A struggle to turn a new vision into a preferred future with consistent actions
Being able to articulate a compelling vision for change with some action steps lessens resistance.

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

In more than thirty years of working with people in the helping profession, I continue to observe that many “helpers” are better at taking care of other people’s needs, rather than taking care of their own.

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

If we were to say what is most essential in successful transitions, we would say communication, communication, communication–communication that involves listening and sharing with both the head and heart. Sharing can be with speech, the written word, ritual, story and gesture. Inviting staff and, if appropriate, current people served by the organization to remember the past in concrete ways, such as bulletin boards in public or staff-only areas where people can share memories of the institution as they knew it, can be helpful in leading people into the future.
 
Staff meetings can begin with sharing of memories, stories, pictures, good times and bad. Memories help make the past present and link it to the future. They put the transition in a certain perspective that can release both sadness and ultimately positive energy. If the transition is related to a major change, a whole book could be created as part of shared history.
 
Employee blogs are often an easy way to get people to share their hopes and dreams, simply by asking them what positive things they think might come out of the current transition. They can build upon each other’s ideas.
 
Articulating the realities of the present empowers people to begin to take steps out of the wilderness. Even in the midst of chaos, there is strength. Seeing what those strengths are and naming them give groups power to act upon them.
 
Many of the struggles in the wilderness zone deal with loss of meaning. Author and leadership expert Margaret Wheatley notes, “All change results from a change of meaning. Change occurs only when we let go of our certainty, our current views, and develop a new understanding of what’s going on.”
 
During the transition time, it is important to encourage conversation about strengths and struggles. This helps individuals and groups articulate meaning, to focus on the heart of the matter rather than on trivialities. Dialogue in the wilderness zone mobilizes the wanderers and helps them feel connected. Probably one of the greatest and most effective things supervisors and senior leaders can do to help people deal with the organization’s strengths and struggles as well as their own, is to be with them and listen to them and provide regular informational updates.
 
Leaders must listen
The temptation for some leaders during times of change and transition is to hide out. They don’t want to hear griping and complaining. However, by making people and their concerns a top priority, by listening attentively, by showing care even when decisions cannot be reversed, leaders can help people travel through the wilderness zone with less pain and sometimes less hurt.

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

One way to understand the role of conflict in our lives is to describe it as our way of dealing with differences–religious, political, personal, familial, etc. In this view, how we deal with our differences makes all the difference. We have found in our work with many individuals, couples and groups that an effective way to explore our differences and achieve positive outcomes is to work from the “inside out.” This “inside out” approach includes four levels of reflection:

1. An examination of our own attitudes today toward issues of power and conflict, violence and peacemaking. The better we can understand our own interpretations of these realities the more proactive we can be in bringing about positive outcomes and the less we will be trapped in the vicious cycle of reacting to situations and people outside ourselves.

2. Another dimension of “inside out” thinking is to reflect on our family dynamic and what we learned about naming and working with conflicts from our earliest years. One meditation you might enter into is that of imagining yourself sitting at your family dinner table when you were ten or twelve. Recall for a moment the seat that was yours and who else gathered with you around the table. Who had a voice and power in that gathering, who struggled to be heard and how were conflicts dealt with when they arose? How powerful did you feel in that family circle and how confident were you that the conflicts could be handled in a positive way? Whatever your experience, it has an impact on how you approach dealing with differences today.

3. We believe that all of us have the capacity to grow so that our early experiences like that described earlier do not have to define us forever or, better said, while they still have influence we can modify them as adults. In this regard, consider what are your values and expectations about conflicts today. What helps you the most to discover or uncover positive outcomes and what gets in your way? Through “inside out” thinking, we all have opportunity to work toward maximizing positive outcomes and minimizing negative ones.

4. As we face various conflicts today it is critical to clarify our own attitude toward power and conflict. As a man or as a woman, how much is your attitude one of “we can make it work” or “we can find a win-win outcome” and how much is it “here we go again, I’m about to lose again or not have my needs or wishes considered in an outcome.” By reflecting “inside out,” we all have the opportunity to develop our capacity to achieve win-win outcomes and avoid or seriously diminish the likelihood of win-lose outcomes.

Mediators who have the job of helping parties achieve durable win-win agreements will be most effective when they adopt an “inside out” approach and encourage those they work with to do the same. In using this approach we all have the capacity and opportunity to be more effective in managing our differences and finding positive and life-giving outcomes.

John Reid, Senior Consultant, Mediator
The Reid Group

One thing that’s certain about the near future of almost any major institution: uncertainty will permeate the scene. While leaders will have many important decisions on their agendas, effective management will require helping both staff and clients to negotiate the transitions they will surely face.
 
Although experts offering counsel to leaders of organizations in transition abound, one we have found to be particularly helpful is William Bridges, author of Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Bridges notes that change is part of life, and rapid change is inherent in all organizations in the 21st century. But he makes an important distinction: Transitions are different from changes. 
 
Changes often are connected with events, such as the sale or merger of a business.  Transitions accompany changes, but they call for more than functional shifts. They require psychological reorientations.The figure to the right illustrates not only Bridges’ thinking about endings, times of grief and loss that throw us into a neutral zone, a “wilderness” from which we gradually emerge into a time of new beginnings, but also the work of the late J. Gordon Myers.
 
Bridges labels three phases in dealing with change as the transitional elements: the endings, the neutral zone and the new beginnings. Myers describes five areas that need attention in order to move from what is dying to what is struggling to be born. Myers dealt with corporate transitions in terms of remembering the past; articulating the present; grieving and letting go; knowing what is remaining the same or deepening; as well as engaging hopes and dreams for the future.
 
Coping with loss
Endings inevitably accompany change, whether on a large or a small scale. They become stressful when comfort levels are lost, when confidence is shaken, when co-workers leave, when people see no significant reason for the change and become confused, when a person’s or institution’s very identity is changed or questioned. The more radical the change, the more vulnerable people are to paralyzing stress.
 
On the change spectrum, people are wired differently to deal with change. Some are explorers looking for challenging transformations. “Bring it on” is their motto. At the other end of the spectrum are the settlers – “if it is not broke, don’t fix it” – who struggle with change in a big way. Most of us are somewhere in between:  we can cope effectively with organizational change, even welcome it, especially if we are involved at some level in creating and implementing the new beginnings that emerge from times of transition.
 
Surviving the wilderness
Our own experience as consultants walking through the wilderness in times of transition with health care leaders, and educational, religious or parish communities supports the wisdom of honoring Bridges’ three stages and Myers’ five actions. They are helpful in those in-between times, those times of struggling to let go of the past and give birth to the new.
 
It should be noted that the three stages and five actions often overlap. The order is less important than recognizing the stages and addressing needs. Remembering the past is critical to making it successfully through the wilderness. Again, to use health care as an example, remembering the bygone practice of doctors making house calls is a way of calling on the dedication of the past – a dedication that is needed today, even if house calls are not.

Recalling the past does not mean idealizing or romanticizing past practices or traditions. These need to be remembered for their challenges as well as for the values they represented. In some cases, the past needs to be remembered so that it will not be repeated. This is especially true if people were treated poorly, without dignity or respect or if they were oppressed and dealt with unjustly.

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

Next month:  Leading Change:  Involve Your People

One of the exciting aspects of the mediation profession is the ongoing development of theory and practice in the arena of conflict management. Like many areas in the social sciences, mediation has benefitted greatly from modern breakthroughs in physics, geometry and evolutional biology.

We explored the contributions of brain science and the neurophysiology of conflict in the February 2011 edition of our Mediation e-letter. The field of evolutionary biology builds upon that work by seeing conflict as a complex self-organizing system for society. The work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace shows how species differentiation and the natural selection process is related to the balance between competition and collaboration as well as change and conservation.

The ability of a species to collaborate, change and adapt enhances survival rates. Therefore, one of the goals of the mediator is to assist the parties to work together, to work through the dynamics of change and transition and to be creative is seeking adaptations to the situation that will lessen or resolve the conflict and serve all those involved.

The field of physics has also made significant contributions to greater understanding of the dynamics involved in conflict through advancements in wave and particle theory. Ever since Einstein, scientists agree that our universe consists of both matter and energy which can be seen as simply different expressions of the same reality. Matter consists of energy vibrating very slowly; energy consists of matter vibrating very quickly. In other words, our world not only consists of particles of fixed matter, but also waves of invisible, vibrating energy. If we believe that every conflict has emotional, energetic and spiritual components, then we can use the wave metaphor to help tune into less adversarial or destructive frequencies and help parties engage in heart-centered conversations which create positive and collaborative energetic states.

Finally, the field of geometry has added to our current understanding of conflict management. Geometry is all about relationship and relationship is always a component of conflict—whether it be with ourselves, others, the past and/or future, or our physical world. By understanding the angle of our speed and position relative to others in a conflict or to the system or environment in which the conflict occurs, we can find clues into the meaning of the dispute and more easily locate the vector of resolution.

In these ways, nature provides us with useful metaphors to view hidden symmetries, forms and patterns in conflict behaviors. The sciences offer models to help us understand how and why we behave as we do when we are in conflict and are very helpful tools for the mediator in discovering more effective methods of conflict resolution and prevention.

Carol Guenther, Senior Consultant, Mediator
The Reid Group

Integration, both individual and organizational, is a critical dimension of personal leadership and institutional effectiveness. On the part of the individual person, recognizing and living out one’s calling can contribute significantly to this integration.

A genuine calling is characterized by “gladness”–that deep-seated feeling that comes from doing well what one does best, of operating at the peak of one’s potential. But calling is more than self-fulfillment. It also addresses the world’s pressing hungers. This is a matter of self-transcendence, of attending to the needs of others, of reaching out beyond oneself and contributing to the common good.

The convergence of personal potential and communal need signifies an authentic calling. Discerning one’s vocation consists in sifting and sorting, weighing and comparing one’s talents, interests, and passions and exploring the needs one is drawn to address. Sometimes the recognition, either of gladness or of hunger, can be immediate. At other times it takes patience and experimentation, false starts and failure, the input of others and the ability to listen. In every instance the goal is clarity. One simple set of questions, suggested by theologian Michael Himes, can help us recognize our calling in the midst of competing claims for our attention. “What am I passionate about? Am I good at it? Does anyone need it?”

Although a calling is personal and distinctly my own, it is not of myself, for myself or by myself. The call comes from beyond, is directed to the good of the community, and often can be realized only in the company of and with the support of others.

As an individual, realizing that I am called, striving to recognize my calling and allowing that call to organize and direct my energies can solidify my sense of purpose and meaning. Living out that calling allows me to align and integrate my values and my actions. For an institution, it can be extremely helpful to hire people whose own calling is in harmony with the organization’s mission. Paying attention to the notion of personal calling can assist the organization in hiring personnel who are a good fit. Supporting them in living out that call can benefit all involved.

Lucien Roy, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group

The organization has worked hard to articulate its mission, values, vision, goals and objectives. It knows its purpose, its core values, its vision and it has taken time to look at how it will make its mission operational and live into its vision. Action steps have been articulated so each objective has a game plan related to who will do what, by when. Yearly priorities have been established based on budget and staff resources. Everything looks like it is a GO! However, we know from experience many plans “sit on shelves” or die on the vine. How can we help that not happen in our case?

12 Steps to Success in Implementing a Well-thought-out Plan

1. Create an oversight committee to watch over the implementation.
2. Be sure the people who will be implementing the plan see themselves as a team and have both the “big picture” as well as the knowledge needed to expedite their particular aspect of the plan
3. Ensure regular communication between everyone working on the plan and those affected by the plan. Be sure to proclaim success stories.
4. Make certain that the implementation is a priority—not an add-on—for those charged with making the plan a reality.
5. Be ready to problem-solve, especially when unexpected issues arise, which happens even in the best of plans.
6. Encourage flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances. Plans should not be seen as written in stone.
7. Identify success milestones and celebrate these as they occur. (No need to wait till everything is accomplished to celebrate success.)
8. Be sure roles are clear about who is doing what by when throughout the implementation process. Be willing to bring in needed experts to “re-energize the implementation process” if needed.
9. Check in regularly with team leaders to access progress and affirm good work.
10. Have a contingency plan for key aspects of the plan that may be pivotal for the success of the whole plan.
11. Implement and improve on the plan as it unfolds.
12. Regularly monitor the success of the plan and its desired effect on the organization.

Keeping implementation teams energized throughout the process is key to the project’s success. Knowing that there will be ebbs and flows, high points and low points in the implementation process is an important realization. Helping the teams recognize that the down times are normal, will alleviate discouragement and distractions that may drain needed energy. Finding ways to express appreciation for all that has been accomplished will go a long way in keeping teams energized and focused on the implementation journey.

Maureen Gallagher, Senior Consultant
The Reid Group