January 2010
Published by Geoff Kelly, Kelly Strategic Influence
Wisdom to lead minds:
“The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might of the force of habit and must understand that practices are what create habits.
He must be quick to break those habits that can break him and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help him achieve the success he desires."
J. Paul Getty - 1892-1976, American Oil Tycoon
Why the change rulebook is being rewritten.
Modern leaders thrive or fail on their ability to successfully
promote change in their organisations, across their industries
and sometimes in their wider communities. And most are frustrated
that their change efforts often fail, or are at best feeble
shadows of the visions they once held.
Typically, most leaders are stuck on the notion that change
success lies in motivating people and communicating effectively.
Their problem arises in the way people are wired. The latest
brain research shows that people find implementing change
difficult even when they are well trained and want to adopt the
change. They are wired to the old ways and naturally flip back
to their old ways; their previously embedded routines and habits.
Think of the trouble most people have adopting new diets and
exercise regimes and this will make more sense.
Of course people can and do change. And with the correct learning
and practice, people are capable of change well beyond what most
believe is possible. That’s the good news. And the more leaders
come to understand the potential for profound change, the more
exciting futures will they envision and build.
On the flip side, most change is much more difficult than most
leaders realise. This is because all new learning and change
that sticks requires changes in the brains of their followers.
Mostly this is at the level of progressively modifying existing
neural circuits, although researchers have also identified that
we actually reroute our neural wiring in extreme change scenarios.
This is often associated with activities that require intensive
practice.
The point is that when leaders kick-off important change for
employees or other followers, they are not just asking for change
in some behaviours and routines. They also are asking for a
corresponding change in peoples’ brains. And this takes time and
effort that too few allow for.
Rewiring the brain takes practice and repetition, not just
motivation and communication. And most of all, it takes time
and understanding.
Because they understand that people are naturally drawn to the
old ways of doing things, effective change leaders also provide
resources and other support that makes changes easier to adopt
and sustain.
Another important factor in successful change is staging it in
relatively narrow steps that allow people to focus on fewer
things at a time. Fewer points of focus allow people to more
fully engage on crucial changes and so accelerate the process.
Pushing a wide array of change through a short timeframe is a
recipe for low impact of only temporary resonance.
A good comparison is to look at how elite athletes and musicians
develop. Sure they have great passion and commitment, but also
they approach their development through intensive development
and practice sessions in relatively narrow areas.
Taken together, these narrowly focussed sessions eventually
aggregate to full repertoires required for competing at Grand
Slam tennis tournaments or playing great symphonies.
Change engagement and communication are still crucial tools in
the leader’s change arsenal. However, what the latest
neuroscience has now clearly established is that how he or she
uses them needs to be fundamentally different to most common
practice.
More next month...
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Geoff Kelly works with leaders who are frustrated that others don't fully support their ideas and strategies. He mainly works with corporate leaders around the world, but also leaders in Government and Not for Profit. He is also a popular speaker on this and related subjects. See www.kellystrategicinfluence.com.au, email [email protected] or call +613 9678 9218 for more information
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© 2009-2010 Geoff Kelly All rights reserved.
You are free to use material from the Leading Minds eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read: "By Geoff Kelly of Kelly Strategic Influence. Please visit Geoff's web site at www.kellystrategicinfluence.com.au for additional articles and resources on earning support for your ideas and strategies." (Make sure the link is live if placed in an eZine or in a web site.)
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