When Shift Happens – Strategies for Leading Change

July 20, 2018 / Category: Business Success , Communication , Leadership

The one constant in life is change. And, that change is accelerating all around us. When is the last time you looked at the Yellow Pages? We make free video calls around the world, yet many of us remember being rushed off the phone with, “Hurry, it’s long distance!” And that was for a call to New York from Boston! What happened to Enron, Marconi, Polaroid, Pan Am, Texaco, Blockbuster, Sharper Image…? From Shift Happens websites, we learn that China has the most English speakers in the world. The top 25% smartest students in India outnumber all the students in the USA. 65% of our grade schoolers will have jobs that do not currently exist. 1 in 2 of all workers in the USA has been in their jobs less than 5 years. 90% of the world’s data has been generated in less than the last 2 years. At work, we have mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, rightsizing, and reorganizations. There are strategic changes, and redesigning the TOM, or total operating model. These happen all the time. How is a person to cope? When shift happens…
  1. Do our jobs, brilliantly.
    1. We still have our jobs to do.
    2. It’s what matters most, always.
    3. Don’t allow ourselves to be distracted by fear or gossip.
  2. Think we not me.
    1. Be supportive and helpful.
    2. The organization thriving is the best way for job security.
    3. Selfish thinking and behavior lead to inefficiencies and contraction, not expansion.
    4. We earn a living by what we get – we make a life by what we give.
  3. Seek to understand – This has many layers…
    1. Don’t think we know what it means. No one likely does, as yet.
    2. Work with our teams/line leaders to align with whom we can best connect.
      1. Part of the team coming in
      2. Others whom we sense might have insight or suggestions
    3. Ask our line leaders what they think.
  4. Ask: How can I help?
    1. My line leader.
    2. Those who are coming in.
    3. Those who we may see struggling.
  5. Believe in ourselves.
    1. Confidence in self brings confidence from others in us.
    2. We cannot control what we cannot control. Accept that from the perspective of our value.
    3. It models the attitude that the right things are being done, if not always apparently in the right way.
  6. Know that what we see is temporary. Many iterations will come.
    1. No one could imagine all the unintended consequences or the complexity, so:
    2. See 1-5 above!
Deliver, we not me, learn and grow, offer help, have confidence, and recognize it’s all temporary. Shift Happens! Third Level works to create high functioning teams, superior leaders, and open communication at work. For more information about how Third Level can help your employees learn valuable teamwork skills, call US 800.262.0705/ UK 44 345 056 3383 or email Info@ThirdLevel.com.