Moving Forward

By Catherine Palin-Brinkworth
© 2005 Catherine palin-Brinkworth. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by Remacue with permission

I read the other day of a local bus company running its fleet of diesel buses on canola oil. True. No modifications needed to the engine, an initial 10% increase in fuel use expected to reduce, and the only pollution is the smell of cooking fish and chips! And only last weekend, I spoke to a man who creates his own houseboat fuel from the same source. I would have thought that impossible!

The metaphor for business change is powerful. Every day in businesses everywhere, people are offered possibilities for improvement. There are changes required in thinking, the willingness to be and do something different. The costs involved are sometimes significant. But the potential for a positive outcome outweighs the risk. Will we act? Will we grasp the change? Will we jump forward into new action? or will we hesitate, afraid of ridicule, afraid of discomfort, afraid of any potential loss, and gradually lose our chances for growth.

There are six alternatives in movement. Forward, back, up, down, sideways and still. Our world does not allow ‘still’ for very long. Pauses are precious and essential, but essentially temporary. So which direction are you going? Where is your organisation heading? Forward does not necessarily mean ‘more’. It might mean ‘better’ or ‘easier’. Being more of who and what you are capable of being, whether you are a person or an organisation. Growth doesn’t just mean getting bigger. It may not mean bigger at all. Indeed, 90% of nature’s energy actually goes into maintenance. So will ours. But with 10% of our energy available for growth, there is a need for careful thought, determined action and radical improvement.

Many years ago, my treasured mentor John Nevin sent me a letter in an envelope on which he had written a motivational message. The contents of the envelope have been long forgotten, but the message remained with me powerfully. I’m sure you’ve heard it: “When you’re green you’re growing, when you’re not, you rot.” At the time I was in major change. Those words have come to me time and again as I’ve moved through more change, and as I’ve helped client organisations move through theirs.

When you’re uncertain, out of control, you’re green. Sometimes to the gills. That’s when you’re growing. One of the fundamental laws of nature is that all growth happens on the edge of order and chaos.

When you’re calm, confident, in control, watch out. You’ve stopped.

Clear agreed values are required – the journey forward can definitely be hazardous, and values provide the guidelines. Check in your team to see if your values have been understood, agreed and shared. Concepts like honesty, openness, respect, life balance might be considered.

On the journey (which never ends, by the way!) your fellow travellers will be unpleasant. It’s part of the deal. We all grumble, whinge, find fault and complain, when we are experiencing change. Hear it, understand it, get value from it in the form of ideas and suggestions and move on. Our resistance to change provides us with useful information for risk management strategies. The ‘what if’s’ are important, but can’t be a deterrent. Check if people are willing and able to change what concerns them, or if they simply want and need to be heard.

Victimhood is not an option. There is no time, and anyway, it’s a nonsense in our business environment. Every one of us, in any given moment, has the power to choose. In our privileged world, we are not able to be forced to do anything without our consent. We have alternatives. Our power is the right to choose from them. If there’s anything unsatisfactory about our lives, our work, our environment, we can change. As author and philosopher Jim Rohn would say: “You don’t like it? Move - you’re not a tree!”

Part of the movement is release. It’s impossible to take a step forward unless you’re willing to release the back foot. Letting go of the past is sometimes the hardest part of all. Sift and select that which would be valuably retained, record the rest with honour, and move on.

We like to utilise our BEST™ Change Process:

• Build the new vision
• Establish values and beliefs, goals and priorities
• Set up an action plan
• Take a step

It’s effective, whether it’s for a daily kick-start, or for a major change project.

Very few of us will be willing to move anywhere unless we have some kind of a clear vision of what it will be like when we get there.

Tension seeks resolution. We crave order and control. In an educated free world, one person’s vision is not enough to get others to move forward – it has to be shared clearly and confidently, received clearly and confidently, and agreed to.

Some kind of framework helps us to feel safer and stronger. We’ll need time frames, strategic purpose, goal posts and as much of a sense of structure as possible. And we need to be realistically aware that these will change. A few weeks ago the new CEO of a significant international organisation asked me why his people were so cynical. You couldn’t blame them – they’ve had promises of nirvana made and broken continually for several years. So have most of us, either in our families, our companies and our communities. And it will continue. Because Chaos Theory will not allow promises to be kept. It gets easier when we admit that all plans are only plans and not guarantees. Even so, plans are necessary, whether the simplest daily diary routine, or a complex project management tool.

The most important step is the first one. It sets the direction, the energy and the emotion. Whatever the next few months bring for you, make sure it takes you forward. It’s the only way to grow.

Catherine Palin-Brinkworth presents powerful business and personal success strategies. She is also a Director of Progress Training Systems – with a proven track record in building sales, service and leadership skills. Call her on (07) 5528 5255 or visit www.catherinepalinbrinkworth.com