TAKE THE CHANGE CHALLENGE: TALL TREE OR BLADE OF GRASS?
Take the Change Challenge
Okay I could go into metaphor overload here (brace yourself…)
Here’s the metaphor
When it comes to resilience and change readiness, are you a tall tree or a blade of grass?A tall tree takes a hell of a battering in a storm. It’s rigidness and inability to move mean broken limbs at best, and total annihilation at worst.On the other hand, a blade of grass can move and sway. And should it get knocked down, its roots look for nutrition and allow it to grow back up again and thrive.The flax bush is my favourite ‘grass’ for this metaphor. That stuff is phenomenal. I’ve seen flooded rivers run right over it, and a week later it’s battered but as beautiful as ever.
The big idea – Change isn’t nasty
Sure, change can be nasty, it just doesn’t have to be. Change is constant, it’s something we have every day. So, it’s more the pace of chance that affects us.Okay, there’s sooooo much that can be said about change. I want to go with a couple of reflections that I discussed with a client recently.
People don’t resist change - they resist being changed
Resistance to change is cumulative
Yup, just like we have neuroplasticity that builds in a useful way through growing resilience, the same is true for neuroplasticity giving us a fitness to resisting change, and making that a really easy habit to fall into.
What are the antidotes to change resistance?
trust
minimising uncertainty
communicating often and honestly
not to set out to solve resistance, but to manage it and grow resilience and change readiness
Which all makes sense.Annnnnnd like a lot of things that make sense, the big question is - how do you bring those things to life and make them a part of how you operate, every day?
Take the change challenge
Can I challenge you?This is all about you taking accountability for change yourself. Of course it translates to the environments you’re in, and how you can support other people through change. And, for a start, you’re in control of you, boo.
So the questions are:
how’re you trusting yourself to work with the changes you’ve had - physically, environmentally and emotionally?
what’s inside your control?
what’s the information and narrative that you’re using? And what choices are you making with it?
how are you choosing to forgive yourself and be generous?
how do you feel about the answers you’re hearing from yourself?
And now that you have a measure on your change readiness and change resilience – what do you want to do with that?
Are you a tall tree or a change-ready, resilient blade of grass?
Seriously, I hope that this rocks your boat and spins your tyres. I’d love for every one that reads this to be satisfied and flaxy!! If you feel that change is overwhelming for you or your team, hit me up for a Leading Through Change personal profile. You’ll identify your level of change readiness, and the strengths you can leverage to grow your ability to get incredible results through acute, chronic and unrelenting change challenges.
Flick me an email and I'll help you sort your change readiness.