The only constant is change. It’s true that this continual movement is one of the things we can rely on, but the extent to which we embrace our new reality is a choice each person makes. Do we get on board, or do we resist? Are we active, or do we stick our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not happening? When you’re talking about large scale transformation, whatever its context, it will involve lots of people choosing to embrace it. So, how do you achieve that?
Transformation journeys: how to stay on track
Let’s start by taking things down to a personal level. Think back to a change that you have made in your life. It doesn’t matter what the change was or its significance. Now take a moment to reflect on how you made that change, the time it took you, and the challenges you faced along the way.
How did you do it?
If your journey has reached its destination, you will have acted on a selection of the following:
Craft a clear outcome that is meaningful and motivating.
Create a vision board or picture.
Manifest the future state by feeling the impact of doing things differently.
Design a clear plan of action.
Check the time, resources, support and money required.
Monitor your progress, celebrating the journey along the way.
All of this effort is focused on one thing: your mindset. Getting it into the right place, and keeping it there.
How did you overcome challenges?
No journey’s path is totally straight; we all have to take diversions, stop for a rest and adjust our route.
Running out of steam
Have you ever started a healthy eating regime, thrown out all your crisps and wine, committed yourself to clean eating, only to get sick of kale smoothies by the end of the second week and relapse? Let’s be curious about what might be happening.
Essentially, running out of steam could indicate that your destination isn’t clear enough or somewhere you actually want to go. It could also tell you that the pace isn’t right for you. You need to slow down a bit, and maybe re-integrate the crisps and wine at the weekend.
Frustrated with progress
Feeling like you’re trying your hardest but not getting anywhere? That can be a pretty disheartening place to be. Some choices are available here:
Not right now: I don’t need to be able to run 5k because 3k is good enough for me at the moment. This isn’t a failure, but feedback. You can acknowledge that the time isn’t right, or that the progress you’ve made is enough for right now. Being curious about what would motivate you to resume the journey is also an interesting reflection. Putting things down and picking them back up is okay.
Adjust your perspective: Were your expectations realistic? It’s possible to adjust your destination to something closer if you need to. In addition, if you look at what you’ve achieved through a positive lens, focusing on what you have done, rather than what you haven’t, how does that change things?
What am I missing? Do you have the time, money, resources and support you need? For example, if you’re looking to improve your fitness but find that going to the gym means you spend 90% of the time chatting and only 10% of the time working out, you could choose to engage the services of a trainer to help you stay on track.
When embarking on a transformation journey in an organisation, all of the above will be going on for people to varying degrees. There’s one big difference: for the vast majority, this is unlikely to be a change they have personally conceived of. So, whilst they understand it might be something the leadership is passionate about, they may not be on the same page.
Organisational Transformation
Any transformation, whatever the context, requires clarity of direction, a real sense of purpose, resources, and resilience. It will take time, and lots of consistency. Above all, it will require the right mindset, and that is the key. Enable a growth mindset, foster and protect it, and the results will take care of themselves.
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