Get Good at Change. Make Way for Magnificence.
About 10 years ago I was in a successful role at GE Healthcare leading L&D for our Interventional division, my family was thriving and being provided for, the work was good, and my peers were exceptional. That said, I was restless. Life was secure and truth be told I was somewhat fearful of making a wholesale change. I wasn’t dreaming of greener grass, just other grass. I was pondering ‘different.’ Our three kids were quite young and my incredible spouse was incredibly supportive. Of course, recruiters often have impeccable timing and know precisely when to offer compelling stories of ‘different’ to prospective candidates. After much personal reflection and support from family and friends, I took the leap, packed up my family, and settled in Denver Colorado. I had a new job, new home, new experiences and had unknowingly created a significant change to the trajectory of my life.
Ironically, not even 2 years later, I received a call from a dear friend (thanks Rich!) about an incredible position at GE Crotonville (GE’s Corporate Leadership University). After more soul searching, a mouth watering campus visit, and a ‘Honey, I hear Connecticut is gorgeous in the fall…’ conversation with the same incredible spouse, we changed our life’s context once again to what proved to be an amazing experience for all of us.
Trust me on this, I wasn’t always comfortable with change. Today is the slowest and least risky life is going to be for any of us. We don’t have the luxury of waiting for options, stalling for 2nd chances, or hoping for handouts that are in short supply. Basically, we have a change quandary: change or be changed. When faced with the choice, I almost always side with ‘change.’ I have proposed new roles for myself and others based on business need, drafted wholesale org changes for my senior leaders, and reconfigured strategies and budgets sometimes without having the typical position power to influence such things. All of this was in the spirit of proactively creating opportunity. It took me a while to build up to that change bravado. If you aren’t quite there yet, keep reading. Below are 5 ways to get you more comfortable with change. With practice, you may find yourself initiating your fair share of it, too.
1) Practice the novel: Each year I attempt one new task of significance. In years past, I learned guitar (love it), sewn an outfit from a pattern (hated it), and read 3 classic novels (cherished it). I took a philosophy class on The Great Courses and embraced Spanish with the help of Duolingo. Then there was mediation (still doing it), a cooking class (still trying it), and chess (my son is better at it). I thrive on these novel experiences now, but that’s because they have become an essential part of how I approach just about everything. I try to seek out the new, assume I’ll face failure again at some point, and bounce back quickly when faced with adversity. Science has proven that new experiences can cause the brain to build connections between neurons, even replacing some of those that we lose over time. I'm sold!
2) Assume the best. My mindset is always “Well, others can [insert activity here], so it must not be impossible.” I pick activities that fascinate or, at minimum, interest me. Skydiving-no; spelunking-yes. I enter new tasks a bit credulous, research the effort required and, then, I simply start. Most people assume they will fail and, thus, never try. Soon, they find themselves applying that logic to all aspects of their lives. Nonsensical. Start now and start small (thank you Scott!)
3) Study the worst. My ‘bucket list’ is more of a ‘cargo container list’ filled with ideas ginormously grand and sweetly small. Obviously, I won’t complete each activity I try with the grace of a swan in a slow-moving stream. That isn’t the point of trying new activities. The point is to seek out opportunities to learn and grow. When things go awry (sad stitch, saggy soufflé, or sour note) I try to understand what I did wrong and attempt a redo if possible. The vulnerability involved in facing a failure head on is a critical leadership skill in short supply these days (including for yours truly, at times). I love to learn from experts…from those for whom these tasks come naturally. I not only get a better understanding of how to improve, but I get infused with their enthusiasm for the activity as well. Felix, my chess instructor, had a passion for his trade that I rarely see in others. He couldn’t help but make others fall in love with the game. Felix was gifted at helping his students learn from their bad moves. Instead of telling me what I did wrong, he’d ask me to reflect on my last 3 moves and to predict the outcome of my next three. Strategic genius. Thanks Felix.
4) Create ‘Curious Contagion’. Encourage others to try something new. Give each direct report one day a quarter to invest time into something they’ve always wanted to try. LinkedIn offers their employees 1 day per month! Khan Academy encourages their students to take on passion projects each semester. Google is famous for allowing their employees to spend 20% of their time on ‘pet projects.’ Organize an educational event for your team (race car pairing, wine tasting, knitting circle). Support them. Give them time to share their experiences with others. Patiently probe for what they learned. The more they are exposed to the new, learn from the novel, and bounce back from breakage… the more you will see them demonstrate innovation, curiosity, and resilience in their day job.
5) Make it personal. Trying new ‘activities’ is just the warm up. For those of you ready for bolder lessons: live in another country, change careers, walk away from a toxic relationship, write a play, go back to school, or volunteer for a long-term service project. The list of possibilities is endless. The more significant the risk, the more personal and profound the change will be for you. Calculate those risks and jump!
Speaking of making change personal, this is the year of a big one for my family and me. After an amazing 20-year career with GE…7 of those teaching at GE Crotonville, I have decided to start my own boutique leadership development consultancy. I’ve been practicing endless small changes to support the dream of this big one. I’d love for you to check out A Working Human Company, a business that aims to make positive changes in what appears to be a global leadership crisis.
I look forward to staying connected.
Kimberly
