Often clients come to me for coaching; not because they are stuck; but rather, they are treading on unfamiliar and potentially life changing paths. From my own personal experience I understand this, and last week prior to writing this blog post, I experienced a total shift; the weight had lifted off my shoulders, my step felt lighter – no doubt in part due to a cosmic shift, but mainly due to increased clarity, and awareness that what I’ve been moving toward is more certain than before.  In this moment of reckoning, I understood that it is uncertainty that can create the “drag” effect and when we are free of it, life moves forward.  I also believe that’s what we may be experiencing on a much broader global level.

From a global perspective, given the economic climate, the demise of  institutional structures, and the hope for something better; we can’t help but feel this uncertainty.  It’s the possibility (of something different, better, innovative) that gets us through the mud and helps us persist in times of ambiguity and change. On this path, we can learn a whole lot and redefine what’s true for us, and possibly bring innovative ways to old programs and systems that no longer work.

At this intersection or crossroad, we are inclined to fall into traps of overwhelm, second-guessing, or disillusion (personally and collectively). This is the time to ask for guidance, seek out perspective, and keep moving forward no matter what. You may not have full momentum, yet edging along is good enough for now, as you are gathering the necessary information to realize the shift or change once you have arrived (as I experienced the other week).

When you’re stuck, there is no movement; however, when you consciously choose to walk an uncertain or new path, you can overcome a level of fear (that is often quite paralyzing) and it’s as if you’ve given yourself permission to fail, take on shaky ground, and mess about until you get clear. Creating art is a great metaphor for discovering our way.  Imagine taking a blob of clay or looking at a white canvas.  As a first step you press into the clay, dab on some colour, thus begins the messy and creative process. The experimenting begins, overtime giving shape, context, and structure. After some time, you might stand back and still feel as if you haven’t got it quite right, so you take another dab, and so forth, until you arrive at something that has an impression of being satisfying and dynamic.

And so it’s this curiosity and energy, this force that moves you along with great momentum sustaining you, until one day you wake up and know with clarity that you have arrived.  This arrival may be a decision, a feeling, a direction; whatever it is, you’ll know as the resistance you struggled with has lifted and dissipated. Going through change is challenging, and yet we persist because deep down we know it will bring renewal and something better.

Susan

On to something new or need help moving through the mud? Visit my website to learn more.

Change can come at us whether we want it or not – but it’s truly a catalyst for better things to come – the challenge is being patient and knowing how to manage the process. It’s also helpful to understand what drives change so we can intuit or at least appreciate what’s coming next!

For so many people and organizations today, it’s fair to say, we often don’t know what’s coming next. Ambiguity or uncertainty is the name of the game. There are many coping mechanisms but they’re just that – coping, not so productive and certainly numbing at times. During these uncertain times people may speculate, entertain ideas, ruminate; and worse, play out their fears! What if instead people’s attitudes and mindsets became the drivers of change and not all the things we can’t control?

It’s easy to get caught up in the downward spiral – it’s fairly contagious and mostly counter productive and incredibly ineffective and dis-empowering. To open up, create movement and capacity you may want to get caught up with what you’re thinking, saying, and doing to create positive impact, sustainable results and hey what about innovation?

Healthcare, innovation, work-life -  are driven by beliefs, values, ideas, and who holds these: people! Somehow we start placing more credit in processes, things, “factors,” and laws that govern how and when change occurs. Naturally, these things matter, but just how much credit and control can we allow for these influences?

You can influence and drive change, it might just be a question of what, how, when, where and why? Keeping in mind the topics I reviewed today, I began to ask – Do I want better quality health outcomes, do I want an effective and fulfilling work-life, how do I influence innovation? There are a few things central to these questions, those being: the conversations, beliefs, attitudes, and mindsets we have, and how those create the conditions in which change happens.  When I coach someone in their professional and personal life – they might ask a similar question about work-life and through conversation, build awareness about these internal drivers of change; likewise, it’s just as relevant for teams, entrepreneurs, and organizational leaders to do the same. When teams and leaders consider how they can create innovation or impact at a systems level – they ought to check-in with the quality of their conversations, their level of engagement, and their commitment to managing that process.

I’ve titled this post with a broad question yet essentially, the answer lies within you. You can and do drive change. So what are you doing to develop your inner wisdom to be in step with change?  Let’s also consider the collective wisdom of groups and leadership teams responsible for implementing change to inspire creativity, excellence, and innovation.

In a large meeting last night, a wise coach stated, “2012 is not the end, it’s the end of the way we do things.” I couldn’t agree more, as a new way is emerging, although ambiguous and uncertain. You do have influence, and can embrace your creativity and wisdom to make great things happen. Now that you’re in the driver’s seat – what mindset, tools, and skills will you develop to forward action and create meaningful results?

We can all benefit from a guide, someone to navigate in this uncertain and exciting time – for more information on how I work with leadership teams, partnership organizations, and individuals, I invite you to contact me – let’s start the conversation.

Be the change.

Susan

http://www.wrightmomentum.com

Throughout the week I had memories come to mind, and rather than the details, I felt this friend’s essence – their “being” and the experience of being in their presence. There are several characteristics or traits that come to mind when I think of Jason; genuine, caring, fun, “full of life,” and a great dry wit. But what I, and imagine others will agree, it’s how we felt in the moment of exchange – talking, laughing, playing, working etc.

I meet so many people in my coaching work and more often than not, it’s that person’s essence that comes into awareness. It’s who they are being, how they make others feel, what impression they make; not what they do or how much they produce that comes to mind. When someone begins to recognize their essence, their potential to create, change, and grow becomes even greater. In your life and work you’ll get things done, but it’s important to ask – how did it get done?  The results, quality, and effectiveness of relationships in work and life plays out through our essence.

Our friend leaves this life as we know it, yet his essence lives. That’s something to truly celebrate. In fact, Jason “requested” that a celebration of his life be held and that will be. I’m humbled to write this, and for those of us who had an opportunity to meet or know Jason, we received a true gift – the essence of a beautiful being.

Blessings,

Susan

Last week I posted about the 40 percent who don’t employ strategies to manage the complexities of life and work. If we equip ourselves with a few strategies then possibly we can gain some breathing space and focus. I don’t underestimate external factors and systems such as, corporate practices, labour supply, and policies that influence our ability to manage our lives and work demands, but unless we build some personal and professional strategies we may fail to develop resilience, happiness, and meaning.

So let’s look at the hear and now. What are you doing proactively to meet work-life demands; and furthermore, create a life that has meaning and value? First step: Become consciously aware. This requires some reflection, and tapping into some really beneficial skills: listening, noticing, and challenging (through questions that dispel your beliefs, stories, assumptions, judgements) There’s a lot of noise out there – are you prepared to filter it and discover what’s true for you? Did I mention courage? Take a stand and keep your integrity in tact.

As you awaken (this is on-going) you can employ strategies that can affect immediate concerns and continue to build strategies for long term sustainability. To make this less overwhelming, consider your work-life as a renovation project- what do you want to change? What immediate change will make a positive and direct impact? And, what are you willing to invest?

Strategies are created from your initial inventory of questions and general assessment (similar to renovations, find the source of pain – how bad is the leak in the bathroom!) As promised, here are several strategies to help you on your way:

• Personally and professionally get really clear on your values
• Start to view work-life in phases – noting the rhythm and cycles of activities, projects etc.
• Once you’re clear on the above -anticipate and block out your time accordingly and communicate what is realistic and how you can or cannot be present and available.
• Build in buffer-zones
• Build in leisure-time, something in which you experience flow – 10 minutes of Sudoku?
• Align work so that projects and tasks that are important and meaningful to you make up the bulk of your efforts (this isn’t easy given external factors but if you don’t do it, someone else will do it for you!).
• Play to your strengths and gifts – this is the happiness factor.
• Pay attention to how you conduct yourself and communicate with others – interpersonal effectiveness is key to managing your work and life.

The aim is to create a sense of harmony among all the moving parts in your life. There will be unanticipated events, distractions, conflicts, and much more, but when you have strategies in place and access them consistently, you’ll have the resilience and ability to stay on track, live well, and be fulfilled.

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New for 2012, Wright Momentum is offering a seminar  Too Many Moving Parts?Bringing life and business into synergistic action. Ideal for professionals, work teams, and the people you care about. For more information contact susan@wrightmomentum.com