Some pointers that I've got are:
A framework for thinking about change and involves navigating through the Seven C's
1. Complexity
- People may felt overwhelmed by the number of variables to consider. Some respond by seeking simplicity and, as a result, either revert to the stable status quo (which stunts growth) or ignore the problematic aspects of the change to make the decision easier (but not necessarily wiser).
- Both coping mechanisms are counterproductive. To kick off a successful change effort, you must embrace its complex dynamics. Take careful inventory of all the factors at play by thinking about them on your own, talking to affected parties, and seeking third-party counsel.
2. Clarity
- You have to fully understand, organize, and prioritise all the factors to reduce your anxiety about them. The clearer you are about what's most important to you, the less anxious you feel, and the easier it is to find even greater clarity. This task requires deep reflection along with conversations with the right external resources. You should rely on people in your network who will listen without judgement and will set aside their own preferences and biases to help you weigh the pros and cons of the change.
3. Confidence
- An executive must feel capable of managing the change while realizing that many challenges can't be predicted or controlled. You want just the right amount of confidence. Too much, and you risk missing key or newly emerging information. Too little, and you'll be paralyzed in the face of the difficulties inherent in the change process.
- Belief in oneself is mostly conditioned by life history, but it can be facilitated by small actions, such as connecting with someone who offers personal support, resolving even minor problems associated with the change, or envisioning a successful outcome. This positive outlook is critical to maintaining the energy required for the remaining C's in the cycle.
4. Creativity
- Innovation is key to any successful change effort. When confronted with problems - early or late, large or small, expected or unexpected - you must find creative but realistic solutions, adapting strategies used in the past and developing new ones. Again, look to trusted members of your network and seek out new contacts with relevant experience to test your ideas and help you generate solutions.
5. Commitment
- Once you're ready to commit to a good, realistic course of action and implement it to the best of your ability, you need to close off other options - including escape - and move forward. This is often the hardest step, bu there can be no change without it. It is helpful to think about this decision not as right or wrong but as a different path. You're no longer weighing the pros and cons of the decision or second-guessing it. You're working to make it successful.
6. Consolidation
- This phase involves letting go of the previous situation so that new possibilities can arise. Some aspects of your old identity must be set aside or abandoned as you adapt. People at a new company who use 'we' to refer to their former employer have not yet consolidated the change; 'we' should mean the current team.
- Some individuals get through this stage by focusing not on what they've lost but on what they've gained. They regard change as developmental - something that brings them closer to a 'true self' or to possibilities they might now achieve. Surprisingly, anchors in your past daily life - even as minor as familiar foods - may help provide a stable basis for safe experimentation with your new identity.
7. Change
- The final step in the process is living into the change, savouring its positive outcomes while dealing with any unintended consequences or new challenges that arise. This is't a static state, of course. You must also be on the lookout for new opportunities that may lead to your next change effort.
Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big
