Sunday 13 September 2015

Avoiding three traps is essential to overcoming change fatigue

Every day in the trenches with my clients I am helping them to avoid three traps opinion overload, the sea of sameness, and mobile mania.

Avoiding these three traps is essential to overcoming change fatigue, the Darth Vader in the way of increased and sustainable momentum in your business.

Opinion overload

Everyone’s got a opinion.

I read recently that LinkedIn is now the world’s largest publishing house. Spend just 5 minutes there, or anywhere online, and you’ll be overloaded with opinions.

Astute leaders focus on feelings and facts and ignore most opinions.

Sage leaders continually ask:

What is the real evidence telling us?
What are our employees, customers/clients, and other stakeholders truly feeling?
Of all the information we have what is the single insight we can leverage this week that will really make a difference?

Sea of sameness

Why do you drive past seven service stations and stop at the eighth?
Why do you walk past numerous coffee shops before settling in at your favourite one?
Why do you buy from Susan’s and not from Sam’s?

Because the people in these places are doing what no one else is (very hard to do) or more likely they’re doing what others do, just better, differently, or more uniquely, and in ways that give you the value you demand, desire, and feel that you deserve.

How about are your place? Are you the same as everybody else or are you standing out in special ways that really matter to people?

Discerning leaders are continually asking:

How can we do XXX differently, better, or more uniquely?
What needs to change so that people feel more valued and therefore live our values and deliver greater value?
If Joe Bloggs competitor is zagging how can we master zigging?

Mobile Mania

I was an observer in a meeting this week at the request of a client. The observations I shared with him shouldn’t have been a surprise. I shared with him how it’s very hard to get anything productive achieved in a meeting when the majority of participants are more interested in what’s happening on their mobile phones than what’s before them in the meeting.

It’s easy to suffer serious injury if your not careful from people who run into you in the street because they were only looking at their phones.

What does an email sent to your employees at 2 am tell them about you and what you really think about them?

We live in a world of mobile mania where fools think it’s OK to be on 24/7.

Perceptive leaders are continually asking:

How can we be more human here?
What needs to happen today to ensure our smart phones and other technology aren’t outsmarting us?
What must we do to ensure time out is taken to relax, reflect, re-imagine?

Avoid these three taps and you'll be well on your way to overcoming change fatigue.

There are two pre-requisites. Bringing your humanity to your work and living, and being with people, in the moment. Read about them here and here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

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