Seven Shift of Change

Shift 1: Letting Go Of The Past

-Uncover myths and assumptions by letting people say what is on their minds – don’t react.

-Separate facts and requests from the noise – stories and opinions.

-Focus on the outcome you want versus all difficulties and what people don’t want.

Shift 2: Developing Breakthrough Ambition

-Identify what you really, really want – what would be a breakthrough for you. Distinguish between pipe-dreams (not believable) and what is predictable, and the breakthrough will be somewhere in between.

-Develop a powerful narrative why you and the others should believe and be excited by the possibility – this is getting yourself on board

-Declare the breakthrough publically – this has a tremendous effect – no going back now!

Shift 3: Creating a Bold New Vision of the Future

-Tune into listening – make a note of the key conversations, concerns and aspirations of people that will be impacted positively by the change.

-Practise creating a story that stirs people’s emotions and interest (gets people to stand up and want to commit freely) communicated in a way that promotes a strong image and provokes emotions in people.

-Ask people after the communication what they heard – this will allow you to access your effectiveness.

-Practice making powerful requests to the people you are communicating to - ones that get people on the pitch versus in the stands watching!

Shift 4: Engaging Players in the Bold New Future

-Ask people what is missing to fulfil the vision or request – this always leads to people telling you what is required and moves conversations away from what is wrong and lacking to what is missing and can be provided.

-Ask people be accountable for addressing the missing areas they see – avoid taking the responsibility back.

-Seek alignment – following the process of making proposals, ask people if they are aligned and if not what is missing  for them; have the discussion.

-Make more requests than promises – powerful engagement comes from others taking the actions and making proposals happen, not from senior leaders taking the actions.

Shift 5: Cutting Through The DNA

-Look to Surface the conventional wisdom, assumptions and beliefs that are blocking the objectives and challenges you have.

-Make people aware of the unconscious DNA in the organization and how it affects the actions they take and don’t take.

-Have people challenge these assumptions.

-Practise flipping the thinking and imagining what would you do if you had no limits.

Shift 6: Keeping The Organization Future – Focused

-Recognize the different conversations people are having. Are they anchored to the past, present or future? Ask questions to move people to the future state.

-Turn concerns into identifying what is missing and requests – this always moves things forward.

-Manage conversations – turning past interpretations to future possibility

-Have new sets of conversations:

a-Imagine you have already achieved the goal: how did it happen?

b-Focus on what is happening versus stories

c-Identify what the commitment is and what is missing.

-Make bold promises and requests to put yourself and others to the test.

Shift 7: Gaining Energy From Setbacks

-Actively look for setbacks and ask what is missing to achieve the commitment.

-Watch and intervene in the rationalizing process that you and your colleagues may start to go through.

-Create an environment where people can bring up the potential and actual setbacks freely and challenge assumptions.

-See setbacks as the pathway to extraordinary outcomes.