The Industrial Age was supplanted by the Information Age and the Electronic Information Age has made even that seem like kindergarten stuff. The instant availability of information on virtually any subject has eroded our ability to pause, analyze and reason alternatives. In the manufacturing world where only a few years ago, "better late than never" was the watchword, today the word is "better never than late." If your new product isn't first to market - forget it - the chances of recouping R&D costs are just about nil.

We demand instant everything

Even beyond new product development, our customers expect instant response to every request. They demand that we be on our toes, ready and able to provide order status information NOW! They also expect us to deal with changes in specifications, quantity and scheduling without a hitch - and with no surcharge.

Is it any wonder that more and more people are suffering the effects of stress -- an epidemic second only to the virus of offshore competition -- and of stress induced illness? How can any person be expected to cope with a world where change takes place at supersonic speed, where nothing stays the same long enough to become familiar, where understanding happens only in retrospect?

To stay ahead of change, get behind it!

A fundamental aspect of Leadership Development is learning to not only cope with this epidemic but to turn it into a dynamic force for personal and corporate growth.There is only one way to cope with change. The only way to stay ahead of change is to get behind it! Those who promote change are in charge of it, those who oppose it are overwhelmed by it! Those who must be dragged kicking and screaming into the next set of changed circumstances will be crushed by those who push change ahead of them. To quote author H. Jackson Brown, "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength but by perseverance."

When we determine to become advocates for change we suddenly find ourselves in the position of pusher rather than pushee, we are more relaxed, more self confident, more self assured and we find that others are more willing to follow our lead. The great writer, teacher and consultant Peter F. Drucker summed it up this way, "The best way to predict the future is to create it." It's also the easier way! If you believe you can hold back the snowball of progress, you are doomed to be swallowed up in something over which you can never hope to have any control.

All change is not good - all change is not inevitable

Please don't take these remarks to indicate that all change is good, or even that all change is inevitable. The prayer of St. Francis (long the watchword of AA) asks for; the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept those things I can not change and (most difficult of all) the wisdom to know the difference. The sky will remain blue, water will remain wet and the sun will rise in the east. The air we breathe however, will not remain clean, with a sufficiency of oxygen, our water will not continue to give life unless we change the way we treat our environment but most of us will never have the opportunity to make a major impact. We must change what we can and encourage others to do the same.

Of all the traits of leadership the ability to produce lasting and meaningful change is so far out in first place that what ever is second doesn't really matter!

Make change your slave, not your master

How do we take control of this "crisis of modernity" and make change our slave rather than our master?

Leo Tolstoy said, "Everyone wants to change the world but no one wants to change themselves." The truth is that all change must begin with me. If I can not, will not, do not change - and demonstrate that change to all the world, I can not reasonably expect others to follow my advice to change. If the two are at odds people will follow my example while ignoring my words, no mater how eloquently they be phrased.. Only when thought, word and deed are closely aligned can I truly hope to be followed. Only then can I hope to be a leader.

It starts and ends with "ME"

To begin the process of personal change I must examine my self. I must understand what I believe and why, what I want to accomplish and why "The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny - it is the light that guides your way."
Heraclitus 535-475BC, Greek Philosopher

Introspection

One of the greatest obstacles to progress can often be our awareness of past failures. If we tried something a couple of years ago and fell flat on our faces (and especially if we were ridiculed or derided as a result) we tend to be reluctant to rock the boat again. When we believe that history will repeat itself, we become paralyzed by fear.

Mentoring managers through a process that I sometimes refer to as "directed introspection" in order to expose attitudes and prejudices can often produce startling results. Knowing where we are starting from does not in and of itself guarantee that we will arrive at our desired destination (on time and within budget) but not knowing weights the odds heavily against us. I believe that if we want to go somewhere we must first know who we are and where we are. When we know the starting point, personally and professionally, in regard to ourselves, our people and our company we are more likely to have a clear picture of where we want to go, how to get there and what must change en route.

I believe that as many people as possible in an organization should be involved in the process of creating statements of Vision, Mission, Purpose, Values, and Goals. When people have had a hand in the creation, buy in to do what ever is necessary to get results is almost automatic. When these guiding principles are understood by everyone from the "Ivory Tower" all the way to the Shop Floor everyone knows where we are going, why we are going there and what we have to do to get there. They also know the down side of not going there and of not participating in the process. Is not the search for heaven made more intense by the awareness of hell? In addition, when everyone understands his or her WIIFM, (What's In It For Me) getting results is like picking low hanging fruit.

Vision must be followed by a plan

Strategic planning can be an arduous (but exhilarating) process. Often a three day retreat with an outside facilitator is the only way to get the concentrated focus, the brainstorming, necessary to initiate the process. We must examine all aspects of the organization, physical and human resources, management skills and needs, culture, attitudes, market place, industry, supplier relations, customer relations, government regulations, labour agreements, etc., etc. We have to remember that Rome was not built in a day. If we are looking for instant gratification we will surely be disappointed.

When we have suspended our doubts and fears, set aside our memories of past failure, forgotten our prejudices, examined our strengths and planned to enhance them, seen in our minds eye the potential within ourselves and our organization, created a vision in which we believe, we will become advocates for our organization and evangelists for the realization of that vision.

Vision is a powerful driving force

Once we are over the initial hurdle we will be driven by the power of our vision for the future. A clearly articulated vision coupled to a specific plan of action for its attainment (including target dates for each step), and a firm commitment to that action, is an unstoppable combination. YES, it will require perseverance, dedication and hard work; and YES, it will be extremely satisfying!

Effecting organizational and personal change is never a cake walk but learning the basics of how to set goals and create plans with specific, time sensitive action steps for their achievement can be learned in only a few hours. When coupled to powerful statements of Vision, Mission, Purpose, and Values, and a well-organized coaching, mentoring and measurement process, the pain is minimal while the results are huge!

Coaching As A Leadership Development Tool

You will likely find that most effective Corporate Coaches have a similar approach. We help to develop Leadership and Change Management Skills through Executive and Corporate Coaching and Management Team Building. Here at The Leadership Centre for example, we state: "We help managers to understand their greatest strengths and to build on them, to recognize and utilize the strengths of others, to create and articulate a vision of what can be, and to devise, implement and take the specific action steps required to bring that vision to life."

If we can change our beliefs, we can change the world.
And we can change our beliefs.

Peter F. Drucker once wrote, "Management is seeing that things get done, Leadership is seeing that the right things get done." Leadership pervades every aspect of business life, it's the one quality that must be there before anything else can happen. Coaching at an organizational level can produce dramatic improvements to leadership and will often produce bottom line results far in excess of anything I would ever promise.

Aside from huge bottom line results you should expect:

Less Stress - for everyoneA happy, more relaxed work environment
Reduced employee turnover Reduced absenteeism
Increased productivityImproved labour relations
Improved customer relations Improved supplier relations
Improved personal lives {this took me by surprise when I first began to see it!}

Like most effective coaches in fact, if we don't see the potential for huge gains in many of these areas, we won't issue a proposal to work with you! We don't work cheap and we won't settle for minuscule results!

A Free Do it yourself - get started kit

If you would like to do your own analysis of your needs we will be glad to e-mail a questionnaire that will help you to look objectively at your self, at other executives and at your organization. Simply click Here and we will respond within 48 hours -- no obligation of course. If you are seriously looking at Executive or Corporate Coaching as a management tool, this may help you better understand what you are really looking for.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Len McNally is President and founder (in 1996) of The Leadership Centre, dedicated to leadership development, management team building and change management through executive and corporate coaching - from the top floor to the shop floor. He can be reached at (519) 759-1127 or email: the.leadership.centre@sympatico.ca. Other articles may be seen at: www.tlc-leadership.com