Does your change initiative need a reboot?
August 6, 2009
Perhaps it needs a Flash Point!
I’m excited to introduce the Flash Point Program, an in-depth exploration and evaluation of your change initiative in which you and I will co-design your next steps toward successful implementation.
What do you mean, “co-design?”
Fact: you know your organization better than I ever will. Chances are, you know what stands in the way of successful implementation, but perhaps you haven’t set aside the time to focus on discovering it, or no one has asked the right questions. It’s my job to ask the questions and keep you focused. If you don’t have the answers, we’ll figure out how to get them. And then together we’ll design what to do next.
It’s also a co-design because this is your job. You are not delegating your responsibilities to me. I’m not going to swoop in and do it for you. The equation looks something like this:
Your organizational knowledge & Enthusiasm +
My change know-how & Coaching techniques =
Your change know-how & Your Flash Point
How does it work?
The Flash Point Program includes six (6) 1-hour intensive conversations between you (the change agent) and me (the coach), roughly scheduled as follows:
- 1 online change readiness assessment and debrief;
- 3 hours of in depth exploration of the requirements to achieve your change initiative, and your organization’s capacity to perform them; and
- 2 personal coaching sessions for you, to discover your unique strengths and challenges as a change agent.
The sessions occur in 1-hour phone calls, once a week, for 6 weeks. This is flexible depending on how quickly you want your Flash Point to occur!
What do I get?
First of all, here’s an idea of what you will discover and learn:
- Clarity about what you are trying to accomplish;
- Greater understanding of how change works and how best to fulfill the role of change agent;
- An assessment of the factors present in your organization that will help or hinder your change initiative; and
- What to do about it.
What you physically (or digitally, really) get to take with you are:
- The results from the change readiness assessment
- Recordings of our phone conversations (for reference)
- A report of the next steps we co-design.
Prerequisites:
There are a couple of things I need you to do before you sign up:
- Review the Is This You page and make sure it sounds like you.
- Download and complete the Change Starts Here workbook. It’s free when you subscribe to my newsletter, or if you really don’t want to subscribe, you can purchase the workbook here.
Program Fee:
The total investment for The Flash Point Program is $1,540.
The deposit for the first session is $295. If for any reason, after completing the change readiness assessment and attending the first session, you do not want to continue The Flash Point Program, you can end the process there with just your change readiness assessment results. To continue the program, the remainder of the fee will be due prior to the second session.
Ready get started?
Next Steps:
- Complete the prerequisites (Is This You and Change Starts Here).
- Click the button at the bottom to pay the $295 deposit so we can get started on the change readiness assessment.
- I’ll send you an e-mail with links to the change readiness assessment and Flash Point registration form to tell me a little bit about yourself, your organization, and your change initiative.
- We’ll set up a quick call to schedule our sessions, and answer any questions you may have.
- We’ll start The Flash Point Program!
By clicking the button below, you affirm that you have completed the prerequisites. You agree to begin the Flash Point Program by completing the change readiness assessment and the registration form. Your credit card will be charged a $295 deposit.
Have additional questions? Please contact me. I’ll be happy answer them.
There’s nothing you’d rather be doing
May 24, 2009
Many years ago, I took a negotiations class as part of my MBA program. One nice Saturday morning at 9:00 am, the professor started class with the question, “How many of you would rather be somewhere else?”
Many people, including myself, raised their hands sheepishly, but were willing to play along. The professor asked a few of us to say where we would rather be. (I said home in bed. I did not have kids yet, and sleeping in was still an option.) He went around the room and collected responses on the whiteboard.
Then he told us we were all wrong! That if we would rather be somewhere else, then that is where we would be. Our priorities, preferences and motivations were reflected in our choice to get up and go to class that morning. If I would really rather be sleeping in, then I would still be in bed. But instead, my priority of learning how to negotiate, or my motivation to get a good grade in the class made me choose to set the alarm in the morning and drive an hour to get to the class in downtown Chicago. The fact that I was there proved that I would rather be in class than in bed sleeping. Whoa!
Ultimately, what we choose to do is a reflection of our real priorities, our actual preferences, and our true motivations. It’s not what we would rather do, or what is on our to-do list, or what we say we want.
Obviously, this lesson struck a chord, since I remember it 7 years later. Every now and then I remember that morning and ask myself: What does my current activity say about my priorities? Why is it that I choose to do this and not something else that might better reflect my values and goals? As you can imagine, this thought usually arises when I’m procrastinating or avoiding taking action or making a decision. Taking a look at how you spend your time through this lens can be eye-opening and push you toward taking a step in the right direction.
Taking this lesson to its logical conclusion then, there is nothing that you would rather be doing than reading this blog post. If there were something that better fit with your true priorities, preferences and motivations in this moment, you would be doing that instead.
So, now that you’re done reading, let me ask this:
What will you do next?
The Power of Inquiry
November 10, 2008
I want to introduce the concept of an inquiry, because I would like to publish more of them, and I think you’ll get more use out of them (and won’t think I’m quite so nutty) if I explain what they are and how to use them.
In coaching, an Inquiry is a powerful, open-ended question that is given as “homework” for the client to think about between coaching conversations. The aim is discovery and personal learning. The best use is to set aside some quiet time to journal a response to the question, and to follow all the roads down which your mind travels. As part of the coaching toolkit, the inquiry is usually specific to your personal situation stemming from the immediate conversation; however, I believe that a somewhat random question can be equally enlightening if you choose to make the best of it. At any rate, setting some time aside to use your brain differently is a worthwhile investment.
During the course of my days, I frequently have an experience that later I try to link back to organizational change and leadership – although most of the time the link is not obvious. In the spirit of creativity, I write about the possible implications and then pose an inquiry to the readers to take the learning further for themselves. For examples, please see these posts.
So, when you see me post an inquiry, I invite you to step away from your task list and spend 5-10 minutes pondering or journaling about how you might answer the question. Many new ideas come by looking at things from a whole new perspective. I hope one of my questions might provide that breakthrough for you.
Assessment: Personal and Professional Satisfaction
September 15, 2008
The Coaches Training Institute has created these “Assessment Wheels,” which measure your level of satisfaction with different aspects of your life. So often, we focus on one or two aspects of our lives while ignoring others. The Assessment Wheels give you the opportunity to evaluate whether other parts of your life need attention.
In coaching, the wheels are often used as a starting point for the conversation. They are not meant to be a comprehensive evaluation of your life, but are designed to give you food for thought for how you might use a coach to improve your life, personally or professionally.
These assessments are posted with permission from The Coaches Training Institute.
Who what when where how and sometimes why
July 22, 2008
My three-year-old son recently started bombarding me with “Why?”
In the Toyota Production System (think lean manufacturing) and Six Sigma, the “5 Whys” method is used to determine the root cause of a problem. My car won’t start. Why1? Because the battery is dead. Why2? Because I left my headlights on last night. Why3? Because I didn’t hear it buzzing when I got out of the car. Why4? Because my toddler was screaming. Why5? Because he didn’t take his nap. So the root cause of the problem “my car won’t start today” is “my toddler didn’t take his nap yesterday.” Eliminate the root cause and you are less likely to have the same problem in the future.
In coaching, we’re taught not to ask Why, at least not very often. The reason? It is often perceived as an accusation. Even in the benign example above, why didn’t the car start? Because I was a dummy and forgot to turn the headlights off. If someone is feeling at all defensive about something, asking Why can be a conversation-stopper. Why is also such a wide-open question that it doesn’t focus the person’s thinking.
Any of the other question starters can be used as an alternative. Especially useful are What and How, although Who Where and When can be used when applicable.
“What drained the battery?”
“What stopped you from turning the lights off?”
“How were you distracted?”
“How was your normal car routine interrupted?”
“When you turned off the car, what happened next?”
Asking Why is easy – even my three-year-old can do it. Instead, be creative and curious, and find an alternative to Why.
Four Signs You Should Hire A Coach
June 1, 2008
Up to this point, you have probably been successful. And, like most successful people, you will continue to do the things that have made you successful. But, continuing to use the same methods and behaviors that brought you this far might be blocking your path to greatness.
Hiring a coach will help you evaluate your current situation, identify where you want to go and who you want to be, and then help you get there. A coach partners with you to reach your full potential, to achieve results while upholding your values and strengths. Read more
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