Recently, I chaperoned a large group trip for a bunch of teenagers—over 300 of them. I had to keep track of about 35 of them myself, and punctuality was the most pressing issue of the trip. If any one person was late for the bus or the meeting point, it held up all 300. While … Read more
We all work and breathe in four organizational frames. These frames are Political, Structural, Human Resources, and Symbolic. Political—power, conflict, coalitions Structural—organizational charts, policies, procedures Human Resources—meeting individual needs, teamwork, leadership, people problems Symbolic—culture, ritual, stories, traditions In times of change, the first two—political and structural—are usually where the change originates from. The bottom two—human … Read more
Based on the book by Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, there are five dysfunctions in a team that create tension, conflict, and stress. These dysfunctions are heightened in times of change. Each dysfunction builds on the one below, and they are all built upon the foundation of trust. Dysfunction 1 – Absence … Read more
How are your communication habits? Would others agree with your assessment? Do they change during times of stress? Change and stress complicate situations and relationships. It’s when we need more communication with each other, but what generally happens is just the opposite. Communication, transparency, empathy, and authenticity build relationships, and good relationships are good for … Read more
We have a habit of withholding in times of stress and change. But what we need to do is get back to the basics of communication and embrace the power of SMaC. Too often we find ourselves in only one circle or one overlap, when we need to be aiming at all three—Be Specific, Be Methodical, and … Read more
In times of change, we tend to avoid adapting to others’ personality styles. Our reduced capacity to adapt can cause us to revert to unhealthy habits, especially in conflict situations. If you don’t know your DiSC personality style, use this simple chart to identify where you are. It’s also a good tool to use to identify … Read more
Now that we’ve looked at each phase of the Kubler-Ross Change Curve in detail, let’s apply it to a real life situation. It’s 8:20 AM and you’re already late for work, but it’s your turn to bring the Friday bagels for your team. They’re expecting it. So you turn left instead of right, calculating in your … Read more
The final two phases in the Kubler-Ross Change Curve are Experiment and Decision. If you look at the curve, you’ll notice these two phases are on the upswing, following the lowest point, the Depression phase, or Moment of Resignation. The Experiment phase is the initial engagement with the change. You don’t have their buy-in yet, … Read more
Change is inevitable, and for creatures of habit, change is hard. Yet, it’s also necessary. No one deals with all changes well, but there comes a moment in every change cycle when we must make a choice: accept the change or walk away. We call this the “Moment of Resignation.” The Moment of Resignation comes … Read more
The first reaction on the Kubler-Ross Change Curve is Denial. This piece is characterized by disbelief and evidence the change isn’t true. Comments from people in this phase can include: “There must be a mistake.” “That’s not possible.” “Are you sure you understood correctly, because that doesn’t seem right.” “No way. This can’t be happening.” Oftentimes, … Read more