Monthly Archives: August 2010

Listening and mindfulness

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Being presentEvery interaction is critical. Every interaction makes a difference.

The power of listening is incredibly underrated – I mean truly listening. To me, listening is:

  • Hearing what the person says
  • Feeling the emotion behind the words
  • Questioning to either gain clarity or gather more information
  • Reading the body language
  • Validating

Listening is not talking or formulating a response. It is mindfulness, being present in the now. It is allowing people the space to express their thoughts, feelings and emotions.

But what does mindfulness mean? To me it means paying attention – full attention with all your senses involved, being present – not letting your mind wander or have it working on a response.

We all have had a situation where we have had people looking like they are listening but are really waiting their turn to speak. It is frustrating and does nothing to deepen or add value to the interaction.

It is amazing when we actually practice mindfulness and allow the space for others to speak the richness of the interaction is extremely powerful. In the moment where the person has finished talking, we can follow with a question – what tends to flow from the interaction is a deeper connection and a growing of trust. People feel that they are safe to express themselves.

Often, when a individuals come together, people are bursting with information that they want to share – this is an awesome time to practice being present and tap into this information – get them talking, ask them questions…release the built up pressure (whether it is good or bad). In these moments the information is rich. We often miss these opportunities because we get caught up in the emotion, tension, or conflict and it draws us in. The most important thing to do at this time is to let it happen and to not be afraid of it happening – don’t try and restrict it, get rid of it or change it – validate it, question to find out more, it is part of the experience.

So how does all of this relate to change? Well it allows us to truly hear what is important to people. Engagement with others is a key success factor relating to change. Listening and building these relationships allows us to build critical relationships which in turn lead to greater buy in and participation during a change.

The way I have started to do this is in small steps – one meeting at a time. I am slowly improving and practice catching myself. Now I am practicing with every conversation that I have and I am getting better at it. I am constantly amazed at the wisdom that is spoken – yes, not every interaction is pleasant and yes I, like many prefer not to have conflict during meetings, but it happens – it is part of the process and I am learning to find it an important part of the process.

Tell me about your listening experiences or any tips that you may have to create richer interactions with others…

Change Management Institute – 2010 Conference in review

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CMI Conference 2010 location

I have never been surrounded by so many people excited by change!

I had the great opportunity to attend the first Change Management Institute conference in Sydney on the 12th and 13th of August. There were approximately 120-140 people who attended which made for a nice intimate group and there was the opportunity to mingle with presenters and other change professionals.

The two days flew by in a back to back whirlwind of presentations and workshops plus great food and company!

Day 1: We have lift off!

It was exciting for the CMI to be kicking off the conference after 5 years of first forming this amazing group. It has been a busy time for them recently expanding into the UK and getting much interest from South Africa, New Zealand and other international countries. It is exciting to be part of a group which is leading the way for the profession of change management.

The keynote speech by Josephine Thomson was interesting and important to the arena of change. She spoke about neuroscience and change and how critical it is that we take how the brain works into account in our change practice. Josephine works alongside David Rock who has written many articles and books on the brain and change. Priceless information. I have read a couple of David’s articles (which I was very excited about) and I am about to read his book ‘Your Brain at Work’.

The Change Management Accreditation was also officially launched with the first 5 accredited professionals being recognised at the conference. These individuals are now recognised as Certified Change Management Practitioners.

The next five hours were back to back presentations. I must admit that it was difficult to have a break as there was 15 minutes between each session and no stopping for lunch. This was not good for the brain! I managed to get through the day without eating anything as there was simply not enough time.

The session which stood out on day one was Criteria for Selecting Change Frameworks and Implementation Techniques by Bill Synnot.

Criteria for Selecting Change Frameworks and Implementation Techniques: Bill Synnot

Bill’s session was awesome and was very much in line with my current thinking. He spoke about the plethora of change frameworks out there and how generally they fall into two extremes – either too general or too specific.

In my opinion, we as change managers definitely require some effective tools to help us with the change process but they are not the be all and end all – what really matters is how you interpret and implement the information that is generated by tools which are used. What matters is your ability to take the theory and really put it into practice in your own unique way. Make it your own.

I purchased his book, The Toolbox for Change – a practical approach, which you can purchase here. The book outlines many tools already used in change both in the workplace and in our personal lives and a brief guide on how to use them. This is great as it will save time and money in searching around or attending courses on how to use these tools!

Favourite quote for the day: “C.A.V.E. : Citizens Against Virtually Everything” – I am sure that we can all think of a C.A.V.E. man or C.A.V.E. woman who we have met in a change project.

Day 2: No rest for the wicked!

The fast and frenetic pace continued on the second day. Today I attended all but one workshop and the standout sessions were:

  • Managing Upwards: A values based approach to driving change by Paul Jenkinson
  • Coaching for Change Workshop by Michael Hollingworth

Managing Upwards: A values based approach to driving change

I loved this session! To be honest by the title I thought that it would be focusing on how to manage upwards but I was pleasantly surprised when Paul started to talk about his values and why they are important to the change process. The focus was on mindfulness and professional integrity – topics close to my heart, and it was great to hear from a guy who was actively putting these values into practice in his work.

It was inspiring and challenged me to actually put down on paper my values and aims to actively illustrate my professional integrity in my day to day work.

Coaching for Change Workshop

The coaching role is becoming more and more critical in my work as a change manager. Coaching for me is not necessarily a formal session but forms part of the everyday conversations we have with those around us. This session was a highly interactive session and allowed me to find out more about questioning techniques which in turn gather information and support individuals simultaneously. Powerful session.

All in all the conference was good. A lot of it was consolidation of my knowledge and providing me with information of where to find out more. I bought a few books, took copious notes and met some great people – all of which contributes to valuable learning! Over the next couple of weeks I will be burying my nose into books and chewing through resources provided at the conference.

More books!

Top takeaways from the conference:

  • Tools and methodologies that you choose are important but not the be all and end all of change – what really matters is how you ‘put the rubber on the road’.
  • We need to be listening and applying the research and practice of neuroscience regarding the brain and change.
  • We can use the CMI Practitioner competencies to focus on our professional development. We can all attend numerous training courses to learn models and methodologies but it is all for nought if we cannot back it up with appropriate professional behaviours.
  • Read more and meet more people. There are so many practitioners in Australia doing brilliant work and they are worth meeting! Read their books and touch base with them – they are excited to meet you and help you. We are not alone!

I am looking forward to the 2011 CMI Conference! I would love to have your company next year…

Customer service, change and the masseuse

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Great customer service has the opportunity to change our day and our outlook! Great customer service to me is critical and I would pay more for a service if I know I will receive awesome customer service at any time.

What does great customer service mean to you? Personally I love it when I get someone’s full attention and they support me through a process – whether it is buying groceries or sorting out an incorrect bill. They don’t need to be able to solve the problem but just be present through the process.

We have all had experience of lousy customer service, but think of a time that you have experienced exceptional customer service…

I had an experience of exceptional customer service while on holidays when I had the opportunity to have a massage. I am not normally one for massage but I thought that I would treat myself. The masseuse was awesome and I learnt a lot about customer service from her. She genuinely enjoyed her job and it was clear that she understood that people came to her to be pampered and relaxed. She spoke in a calm and soothing manner and gently led you into the massage room. Every movement was deliberate and it was clear that she had done this many times before – she knew her methodology, she was prepared and focused. At no point did she rush or appear out of control. As she finished working on parts of the body she lightly touched the next part that she was going to move to and then slowly moved to that part – nothing she did was a surprise or startled me. I came back the very next day and had another massage with her and it was exactly the same approach. I felt completely comfortable and completely relaxed. Exceptional!

Often in the bustle of day to day work life, the office politics, and deadlines it is often hard for us to find the mental space and energy that it takes to give to others.

Customer service and its importance in change management

So if we were to apply outstanding customer service to change management what sort of results do you think we could achieve?

Two possibilities are less resistance and more engagement – these areas are possibly the toughest areas to manage in a change. Resistance will lessen if people feel that the are fully supported and genuinely cared about during a process – think back to a time where you have wanted to blast someone due to an error on a bill or that it is the third person you have spoken to about an issue: if we feel supported and genuinely cared about often that anger often slips away and you engage more fully.

 If we do these two things we will notice the difference!

1. Self engagement

 A big part of successful change management is engaging ourselves when dealing with others – and often that is reciprocated! If we don’t engage we have no chance of getting others to engage with us – we have to pave the way.

Genuinely acknowledge that the client, their business and their staff are the focus. We are there to help them be successful. We are there to guide them and support them through the transition.

Truly give everything the people and the transition process. Giving our full attention to someone is a big part of good customer service…not answering the phone, checking email, sending text messages, surfing the net, being late for meetings or getting distracted by other people around us. It is giving 100% to that person and that can help them feel awesome!

This I think is one of the most simple and achievable areas of providing good customer service – don’t promise what we can’t deliver and don’t forget what we have promised!

2. Consistency

It is critical for us to be consistent in our approach – all it takes is for us to miss one commitment we made for it to  result in peoples confidence, trust in us and their perception of our ability disappear. How do we want to serve our clients?

Being consistent is the result of knowing and applying our methodologies.

We can apply the approach taken by the massage technician to our change management approach – know how you move people through a transition, match our behaviour to our activity, communicate to individuals and groups what is next, and aim not to let any surprises startle people which can derail the whole experience.

Observe how others provide service. Take the good and learn from the bad – these are lessons that we can learn from cashiers through to the CEO. Look at ways that you can apply what you have observed to your own approach. Everyone needs to make service a priority.

We can make change a smooth and enjoyable process and I believe that one person – you, the change manager – can impact individuals and groups in a positive manner.

Decide today to give your best service possible: you can make a palpable difference and I am sure that you will be amazed by the results.