I’m an unabashed fan of Seth Godin and I love a recent blogpost of his in which he outlines the difference in company culture between the contracted risk-averse, and those that commit to the possibility of doing something different – embracing the unknown, change, possibility. It’s understandable in the current climate that so many people, companies, governments, financial institutions are sitting on their hands and waiting for someone else to take a risk first. Companies won’t hire until people start spending again, banks won’t lend until companies show growth again….it’s all a cycle of Fear that has thrown our economy into quicksand. So nobody moves unless someone else moves first.
I’m sure you see the consequences of this in your workplace. An atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty takes hold and people can’t really say what they think, they can’t hold their ground, because that ground seems to be dissolving around them as they watch co-workers get pink slips and the cost of everything keeps climbing and forget about new ideas – what planet are you from that you can even conceive of innovation at a time like this?
And yet….. Now is precisely the time to pop your head out of the foxhole and look towards the horizon. And if you can be a First Adaptor even in small ways….. you may be positioned to lead once the climate begins to thaw.
Let’s start small…… bring your employees a new way to connect by sharing their true experiences and finding more productive ways to problem solve. Take a look at any of the trainings outlined on this website. SFI has a series of upcoming interactive trainings/coaching series for three companies: a big one – Pierce Atwood, a small one: Maine Meadworks, and a non-profit network: the Institute of Civic Leadership. These enterprises are negotiating the same shaky ground you are – and they have decided to resist contraction and Embrace the New anyway by hiring Short Fuse Interactive, LLC.
And how’s this for something really out there? Portland Playback Theatre Co. has recently joined the Maine Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and is actively promoting storytelling as an innovative tool for stronger employee engagement and productivity. PPT creates a staff development event unlike any you have ever experienced – they get people to tell their true stories and then play them back using specific forms and techniques. This experience becomes a catalyst for both honoring employee experience and facilitating first steps toward productive change. I dare you. Take one peek out of the hole and a baby step toward something New… Check out the link….
You won’t be sorry.
I recently started doing some work with my local YMCA. Yesterday we were doing a multi-branch meeting when Helen Brena Foley, the CEO, challenged the group to a contest to see which branch was doing their best to incorporate the mission and values “Living the Cause”, as it were, of the organization. She started with questions like: “What is our purpose, what are we for?” Answer: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility! She went on in this vein for awhile and each correct answer got a prize: big cheers from the group and their choice of YMCA apparel. And then she threw in a ringer: “Who has read ‘The Switch’?” Surprised silence. Mine was the only hand in the room to be raised. “What are the three main components in the book?” I felt like I was in high school again but I went with it. “The Elephant, the Rider and the Path”. “What’s the function of the Elephant?” At this point people were turning around to look at me….”The Elephant is the part of us that resists change, the Elephant doesn’t want to be healthy, the Elephant wants donuts.” A few snickers rippled around the room- lots of personal trainers present. “And the Rider?” she asked – not letting me off the hook just because I had a strong start. “The Rider has the Map – the Plan, and sees the need for change – but the Rider needs to motivate the Elephant”. More heads are turning around now…there is some surprise here that we are spending this much time on something not on the agenda. I’m feeling some wind in my sails now, so I continue unprompted…”And the Path is the context, the environment, what surrounds the change with various obstacles and supports”. Helen smiles…. the people sitting at my table send up a cheer – and I win my choice of YMCA apparel. But the bigger win for me is that suddenly, people are interested in this book – they want to talk about “The Switch”, which as some of you know – is one of my favorite group facilitation reads. And I discover that the YMCA wants to begin actively and consciously incorporating these principals to promote healthy lifestyle change in their communities, so that next time she asks about who has read the book, many hands will be raised. In my experience, that makes the YMCA a big winner.
In an increasingly impersonal, fast paced global workplace, trust is difficult to achieve and retain. Yet, HR leaders understand that “getting results” depends on people working with each other in trusting and transparent collaborations. How do you build trust when you often know next to nothing about your co-workers as human beings? How can you quickly tap into the best of who you are and stimulate that same essence in others, while staying on schedule and implementing best practices? How can you make sure that the product or service you need to create is not compromised because you don’t trust the work of another – (and they don’t trust you?)
Janice Cohen and I are in the process of creating an experiential training workshop designed to explore and answer these questions. We are happy to announce we will be doing this workshop for the HR Convention at the Samoset in Rockport, ME this coming May 11 -14, 2011.
Trusting workplaces are energy producing, not energy reducing, as is common in a workplace devoid of trust. They are more productive, creative, competent, and self-nurturing. With ever tighter schedules, we can no longer hope for trust to develop over time. Building trust must be an intentional, courageous act built not on status or goals, but on the willingness to reveal one’s authenticity. Storytelling is an efficient and effective vehicle that enables people to build trust within the restricted time frames and fast movement pace of today’s workplaces.
Four Objectives of this Workshop
So what do you think? What are your stories of Trust on the Run? Tell us here and come see us in May!
So in the last few training sessions we have done at SFI Inc., it was not mandated that the attendees be there, but it was strongly encouraged. And by that, I mean that our trainings were offered as a more proactive alternative to anger management interventions, or another round of communication skills training. Our training was an opportunity for them to make a good faith attempt to analyze their own behavior and interpersonal style of communication – with the inherent pluses and minuses. And what we all – trainers and participants – discovered in the sessions, were three key incentives not necessarily voiced prior to the work:
These discoveries through the course of the workshops start to open participants up to the power of Appreciative Inquiry as a management tool - and get them started on a quest to look for what is right – what is already working – in an organization or work team. Then we can start to discuss how to amplify the positive – and even if we can’t eliminate the negative, we can turn down the noise. What do you think? What has been your experience?
