Leadership advice – When things don’t go as you want them to – Zen Leadership
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leadership advice – when things don’t go as you want them to

Change is hard. It never happens as easily or as quickly as you want it to, especially when you are the one leading the charge. You put all the systems in place… you keep everybody in the loop on your progress… you might even hear little signs of encouragement along the way that lead you to the false conclusion that this important initiative will be a piece of cake. Then it all goes to pot and you ask yourself, “What the heck happened?”

If this sounds all too familiar, I empathize. Welcome to my present world. But this time, I am not taking it personally. I’ve developed a certain level of awareness over the past few years that is not letting this situation get its hooks in me. Because its NOT about me. So often we forget this and let emotions rule our follow up actions.

The Zen Leader talks a lot about this “flip” in consciousness in Chapter 9, From Local Self to Whole Self. It’s a concept that can be difficult to understand, but when you make that flip, it’s easy to see that there are a lot more factors in play than you may have initially realized. Here’s the basic process:

WHO – Become aware of all the players
Become aware of the many people that are playing into the current situation. Make a mental note of each one, or even write them down. Who are all the immediate players in the situation? Who might be considered secondary players? I encourage you to expand your thinking to future people who may be impacted by this change.

WHAT – Consider the needs and fears
There is a reason, usually more than one, why people are resisting this change – and the reasons can vary widely by individual. Go back to your list of the players and do some role playing. What factor might be swaying them in another direction? What are they fearful of? What need is not being met by this change? This exercise allows you to “become the other person,” as Ginny Whitelaw states in The Zen Leader. It might benefit you to write these down as well.

Now, look over your list. Get a sense of the WHOLE picture, not just your own perspective on this change. “The whole-self answers son’t necessarily contradict those of the local self so much as add new dimensions, or broaden the approach. They may even reveal a better way to state the goal, or an overarching issue that has to be dealt with first,” continues Ginny.

This has been a valuable exercise for me, and I hope can add benefit to you, too. If you would like a more detailed look at this flip, along with some good real-life examples, I encourage you to download the guide: Implementing Change – Understanding All The Players.

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