I keep coming back to the notion of readiness.It’s come at me from a variety of directions lately and as I continue to work with leaders and individuals, it clearly stands out as a key ingredient to implementing change.Yes, my clients and I talk about competencies, ability to influence others, strategies – we talk about all of that.Yet, how much of what we want to change comes down to readiness : our own or the readiness of others?
We’re all familiar with the quote “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.That clearly says successful learning (and change) is not attributable to the teacher’s skill or wisdom, rather it starts with the student being ready.How does the student get himself ready?
Readiness means being willing to let go of the past.If we are still clinging to old behaviours, old ways of doing things, are we really ready to embrace the new?So readiness also means being willing to embrace the risk of trying something new.True change can happen when we are finished with the old and stand ready to try something new.
Creating readiness in others means helping them step up to the cusp of something new with the willingness to embrace the new.How do they get inspired about the future?If all they know is the present (soon to be the past), what would make them “ready”.As their leader, what have you done to paint a picture of the future?Do they see themselves in it?Does the future reflect their values, hopes and dreams?When the leader is able to paint that kind of picture, she becomes an inspirational leader – one that others place their trust in.And trust in others is another way of saying : “You’ll catch me if I fall when I don’t quite have the new steps worked out, won’t you?”.That’s you – the leader, being told what your next job is : catch me when I fall.Don’t judge or punish me for taking a risk, don’t think poorly of me trying something new.Help me learn and help me get better.If I can trust you, then I’m ready.
Readiness – we all have it in us.What’s holding us back?
At this time of year, it seems natural to think of the past and the future. The year ahead is full of promise and has the potential to be everything we want it to be. How can we make it all happen? Do you find yourself in a Red Ocean or in a Blue Ocean?
A client once said : “I’m really good at writing a strategic plan for my business, but I don’t know how to do something like that for my own life!”. It seems ironic that we dedicate ourselves to planning our work : setting targets, outlining goals and milestones and charting a pathway for achieving them all. Yet, how often do we take the same skills and apply them to the things in our own life? Aren’t the things in our lives just as important?
Just like the business strategic plan, your life’s strategic plan starts with a vision and sense of direction. Without those, well……..you know the story.
And, are you charting a course for the Blue Ocean? I highly recommend reading the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” (Kim & Maurbogne), if you need a refresher on how to re-vision yourself and everything you do. Do you define yourself through comparing to others, benchmarking and generally just trying to outcompete them? Or, have you found a way to leave the competition behind by re-defining what you are doing in a way so that the competition doesn’t matter? What’s your Vision?
Ok, here’s my Vision for 2010 : to grow my coaching practice while maintaining a great work/life balance. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Both halves of the statement are tips of icebergs. What do I really mean by “growing my coaching practice”? What’s entailed in that? Lots of business development activities to be sure, sharpening my saw (continuous learning and professional development), working with my own coach to help me stay clear and focused, being on the look-out for opportunities, writing proposals and the list goes on. I suspect we can all easily fill in the remaining bits of strategies and tactics to grow this little business.
What about our lives, though? Isn’t growing this business just one part of my life? What about the rest – my relationships, taking care of myself, fun and adventure, fitness, health and spiritual well-being, giving to my community? What’s my plan?
Writing these words has made me realize that “maintaining a great work/life balance” isn’t really a very good vision statement. What I need to replace it with is :
- Being a loving partner to my spouse,
- Being a loving father to my children,
- Being a true friend to my friends,
- Being fit, strong and healthy,
- Being spiritually alive and in tune,
- Having a learner’s outlook all the time,
- Helping others in my community.
These are all things I want to be in 2010. That’s what I envision my life to be like this coming year. If I am able to be all these things, I think I’ll have great work/life balance. Each one of these ways of being has its own set of strategies and tactics : things I will do to make it happen. And, of course, they all inter-relate, even with my goal of growing the business. After all, I’m a whole person and everything’s connected to everything.
We admire leaders who are grounded in their vision and are able to share it with others in ways that are eloquent, inspiring and galvanize us to action. Be that way with yourself! Write out your Vision for yourself – the act of writing will become the first step in the act of achieving. Stealing a phrase from sports psychology – if you can see it, you can do it!
It’s not that all the rest is details, but, actually all the rest is details.
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