"Change is the only constant." You read and hear it a lot, but how do you deal with it? Changes do indeed follow each other at lightning speed and if you are not careful, you will get lost in a stuck system of which everyone can point out the ugly patterns but no one knows the way out. Powerlessness, frustration, feelings of failure and inadequacy take hold of you. Where people work, live and communicate with each other, a system naturally arises that you could provide with labels. Healthy, toxic, fertile, corrupt, soulless, soulful, safe, unsafe, functional or dysfunctional.
That is often where it ends. We can point it out and name it so well, but doing something about it turns out to be complicated, uncomfortable, difficult, laborious, expensive, inefficient, and above all: confronting and annoying. Let me reassure you that it really can be done differently. If you can muster the courage to be open to changing your own beliefs, frameworks, mindsets, assumptions, blockages and superpowers.
When I am approached for a cultural or leadership issue, the following statements and statements frequently occur during the intake interview:
We have known for a long time that there is an unhealthy dynamic within this team.
Our organization is not really unsafe, but we do receive many reports of unsafety. We think it is not that bad, but we want to draw attention to it.
Our leadership team is far from aligned. We need help to work better together and lead the organization well. We are all over the place.
We have done several studies and culture scans, but nothing has helped. We are slowly giving up.
We have concluded that artificial harmony is part of our family culture.
Yes, those cross-border cases are increasing here. The turnover in our organization is very high, but we have accepted that.
There is a culture of mistrust here, you can see it in everything.
You can't change culture unless leaders set a good example.
It's damn hard to lead a group of people who collectively perpetuate a culture that no longer serves the collective - or even works against it.
Leaders, directors and management teams often do not know where to start with changing the organizational culture. It is delegated 'downstairs'. It is the 'issue' of the team leaders, the cluster managers, the department director or the boss. They have to arrange it. Part of the job.
breaking the patterns
Yet it doesn't work that way. I see many of the same patterns within organizations and every now and then one team or department that has found the way forward. A group of pioneers. A team that has managed to make its own patterns healthy. The annoying thing is that these exemplary groups and leaders eventually perish in the game of the larger patterns. If the larger patterns are not broken and changed, every smaller pattern (no matter how positive) will be displaced. That does not mean that a small movement cannot make a big impact. On the contrary. My observation and now also confirmed conviction: if leaders make a shift, cultural change is possible. Leaders must make change possible, facilitate and communicate it. Without movement at the top, there is no sustainable movement in the rest of the organization.
system change requires leadership
The system often dominates the corporate culture. The structures partly determine the behavior and structures can hinder change. We humans work (for the time being) in organized systems that largely determine and assess our 'useful' behavior. We think up functions, roles, task packages and KPIs, but we remain group animals that are primarily driven and shaped by personal relationships. We are sensitive to ranking, but also empathetic beings who like to be led when the leader is 'right', brings vision and inspiring energy. Informal leaders are therefore just as important for change processes as formal leaders.
Leadership teams can stimulate change by: giving space, inspiring vision and supporting innovative initiatives. Lead by letting go, but not by checking out. Leaders who want to be 'in control' cause stagnation. Stimulating natural growth is essential for a successful organization that runs on a safe, inspiring organizational culture.
courage, openness and surrender
Preparing leadership teams for change and transformation starts with discovering the personal leadership of each person. It starts with awareness. Being aware of your role in the whole, your attitude and qualities, your patterns and blockages. As a leader, but especially as a person. Every life story provides tools for unique, personal leadership. Your life story is your leadership story. Knowing yourself, recognizing and appreciating what you have experienced (without judgment) is step 1. Many leaders prefer not to be seen as vulnerable. Out of fear of no longer being taken seriously. From a conviction that leaders must be 'strong and indestructible'. In the leadership journeys that I have guided, it has become clear time and again that the power of leadership really lies in self-acceptance, sharing it openly - and recognizing the lessons so that you can resolve blockages. Easy? No. But once you cross the bridge, the reward of the revelation comes tenfold. Time and time again. Actually always.
Get out of the boardroom
The leadership journeys I have led contain a number of elements that are extremely valuable - and perhaps even essential - for developing change leadership.
To lead others through the discomforts of change, you must be willing to surrender to a group process and program you do not know.
We are going into nature. Always. No negotiation possible. Outside, moving and slowing down. No sad meeting rooms or depressing hotels. We are going to breathe. At least three days (with two overnight stays). Preferably longer.
We switch off and on. No phones, no mail, no car. No escape. Surrender. And no, we don't say what we're going to do. You'll notice that yourself.
We land at the point of departure. Or the point of no return, if you will. Why are you Here? Why are You here? Why Now?
Sensing and Presencing. The essence of leadership is personal growth. We meet and are truly present. From person to person. We explore meaning. From I to We to Collective. We descend and discover, feel, reflect and share. No real thinking involved. All personal stories offer inspiration, lessons and recognition.
Reflect and Connect . We look at patterns, discuss reflections and connect the dots. Together, in dialogue and relaxation. Holding space is base camp.
Feedback and Feel Forward . We learn to communicate differently, are connected and form unity in diversity. We know each other's stories and qualities and can therefore give direction to a new step. We form a joint, aligned vision. We are ready to change.
Up close and personal . We really commit: to each other, to yourself, the joint assignment and the new path we want to take together.
Check-out . We make agreements that last.
Do you want to learn to truly lead change with your colleagues, MT or leadership team? Then my team would be happy to help you further, in order to:
Develop a journey (in the Netherlands or abroad) where we go into nature and you sleep in inspiring places. Of course fully catered with delicious meals and views.
Really help you to slow down and make time for important dialogues.
Develop new insights that you cannot develop at home and in your daily life.
Take a safe dive into the deep end and enjoy it to the fullest.
Learn to embrace change, despite all the question marks and uncertainty.
Make you open your eyes, again - and to fully land in your own leadership.
Connect you with each other in an atmosphere of trust, which will open up a whole new world of possibilities for your collaboration.
Culture always exists between people. People are constantly in motion and cause change themselves. Every change has an impact. Culture is a temporary landing place in the midst of changes and systems. Culture provides tools and information about the meaning that people and teams jointly give to matters and events. Analyzing and understanding culture is necessary to initiate positive changes. Insight and clarity as a basis for change. Leadership is essential for groups to get moving and stay moving.
Want to know more about organizational culture, leadership and change? I'd be happy to help you.
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