Is it Time to Make a Change?

What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There, written by executive coaching guru Marshall Goldsmith, helps us discover the 20 workplace habits you need to break if you have an interest in becoming even more successful.

Think about it. Often times, our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness. As leaders we must learn to apply our strengths selectively and learn in which situations they can do more harm than good. At Helios I pride myself in believing that we have a ‘feedback rich culture’.  High potential employees and star performers are very good at receiving feeddback. They don’t become defensive as they desire to improve their performance. They take accountability for their actions.

In Goldsmith’s book he trys to help us discover what is holding us back from the next level of  success.  The very attributes that may have lead to our success: drive/self reliance/determination/impatience–could now be the things holding us back. 

A colleague recently shared with me her theory that to really change a behavior that is impeding your growth either a major life altering event must occur (that “aha” moment) or you may “suffer a thousand cuts” before you are motivated to make the change.  It’s like the saying ”when the student is ready,  the teacher will appear.” 

In chapter 13 of  Goldsmith’s book he stresses how most people believe that they will work on behavior change when things slow down long enough that they can focus on making the change.   When we get over this next hurdle, when the next big project has been completed, when we have time! 

Goldsmith encourages us to recognize that the time to change is ‘now’.   He asks us to ask ourselves, “What am I willing to change now?”  Just ask that one question.  It will be enough, for now.

~Kathy Albarado

Sometimes Slowing Down is Necessary

Recently a colleague and advisor shared a story about the Chinese Bamboo.  For me it was so relevant, not because I am a horticulturist, but because it tells the story of  “paced growth and slowing down.”  There is a book I’ve enjoyed reading by David Kundtz called “Stopping, How do be Still When you Have to Keep Going.”  

Are you in business and focused on the bottom line? Struggling to grow? Anxious to gain a competitive advantage? Then maybe you cringe at the thought of Stopping.” “Why would I Stop? The idea is to Go!” But according to Kundtz,  the Going is getting us into deep trouble. That is, if we are Going without first Stopping.

Kundtz states that for whatever length of time we do it, we need to spend fallow time, still time, quiet time, time with no agenda at all. I believe we’re talking about the difference between merely surviving and really thriving. We must learn again to become peacefully still.

The definition upon which the practice of Stopping is based:

Stopping is doing nothing, as much as possible, for a definite period of time — whether a moment or a month — for the purpose of waking up and remembering who you are.  That with defined periods of ’stopping’, our relationships are deeper and our actions more intentional and focused. 

His point folds nicely with my colleague’s Bamboo story.  Chinese Bamboo must be carefully nurtured for 5 years before its stalk grows at all. Can you imagine many of us having the patience to invest 5 years of our time before we see any return at all?  Ahhh…but when it does sprout, in a six-week period the Chinese bamboo tree grows to ninety feet tall!   It seems incredible that a plant that lies dormant for years can suddenly explode with growth, but it happens without fail with bamboo trees.

Joe Mechlinski at EntreQuest wrote a nice blog post about this principle.  I encourage you to check it out!

http://www.entrequest.com/chinese-bamboo-take-the-time-slow-down/

 

~ Kathy Albarado