The Only Constant is Change

Dr. G here. I was speaking with a client of ours today, who was concerned about some pending changes in her organization and what it would do to the community that we had helped them to build among their staff. This conversation reminded me of the many changes that each of us has witnessed and experienced over the past year. The economy has seen radical change, causing adjustment for every business and organization, for every family, and for each individual. The new year often brings changes, and we wonder if our nation will see more changes after having voted on that very platform last year.

The permanence of change in our lives is as true for us in business today as it was for the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Every industry faces the constant prospect of changes in technology, regulations, and personnel, which challenge both financial and human resources. For managers and supervisors who are faced with numerous transitions daily, a first step to handling change is to understand the dynamics that characterize it.

According to well-known author and management consultant Kenneth Blanchard, seven elements are present in the face of any workplace change (click here if you’d like to read more about these seven elements). I bring up these elements in this blog entry to ask: How have you experienced and accommodated changes in your life?

Emu Consulting has seen several changes of late, including new course offerings and a new associate, as well as changes brought on by the economy and by more personal transitions. We've found that our own experience, as well as the models and understanding we have of change, help us to manage our own change and to ably serve our clients during their critical times of transition.

As you navigate the turbulent waters of change, let Emu Consulting be your collaborator in guiding you on the journey. Contact us at 303-377-8081 or doug@emuconsulting.com. Wishing you well during these interesting times.

Too Much Time On Your Hands? Not Likely!

Dr. F. here, asking: What would you do with an extra hour in each day? That’s the question my business partner, Dr. Doug Gertner, asks his seminar participants. I think it’s a great question, and one that people are often excited to answer. In fact, most people could easily generate a veritable catalog of things they would do with an extra hour in a day. (I, myself, would choose the company of a good book almost every time). But, think about this, if you had an extra hour each day, that’s 7 extra hours a week, 28 extra hours a month, 336 extra hours a year! That’s a lot of extra time! NOW what would you do?

Although, at Emu, we teach people detailed skills for managing their work–life balance so they have that extra time, I think one of the simplest things you can do to make more time in your life is to avoid the “technology trap,” or what Dr. Gertner refers to as “technological ADD.” We all do it—telling yourself you’re working, all the while checking your email or Facebook account every 30 seconds. Thinking, “this report (insert your own job-appropriate noun here) will only take a few minutes, so I’ll go see what’s on sale at Zappos.com and THEN I’ll start on it.” Before you know it, half your day is gone and all you have to show for it is…well…nothing (except maybe a higher credit card bill).

I read something interesting recently. According to Dr. David Greenfield, a psychologist who specializes in internet addiction, we are addicted to checking email and social networking websites mainly because it stimulates the part of the brain that releases dopamine when we feel “rewarded.” And email or networking sites reward us unpredictably, meaning most of the time they give us nothing exciting, but every once in a while, we get something that really gives us a charge—a coupon, or a friend request, for example. And that’s enough to keep us coming back.

So, how do you cope with this? Is it really an addiction? No, not really. (Well, for some people it may be.) But most people simply need to learn the skills of managing time better. Emu offers seminars to teach people these skills. But, for now, try focusing on your “technological ADD,” and remember that there’s really no such thing as multi-tasking. So, logout of that email and focus on the job at hand—and the more long-term reward that comes from being able to say “job well done”!

Resolutions or Goals?

Dr. F. here. We hear a lot about New Year’s resolutions every year, and this year—the start of 2010!—has been no different. I actually think resolutions have become akin to talk about the weather; maybe it’s just something we do when we’re simply making conversation. For example, when I went to the gym this morning, the front desk attendant, with whom I’m fairly well-acquainted, asked me what my resolutions were. I told him I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. And he said, “Why not??” Not really wanting any deeper conversation, as I was chomping at the bit to work out, I simply said, “I just don’t,” but asked him, “What are yours?” He laughed and said, “I don’t really make them either.” See? Just like the weather: he was just making conversation.

In truth, I actually know of a fair number of people who really do make New Year’s resolutions. But, how many people do you know who actually stick to them? It’s a big topic at the start of a new year, but I’ve never talked to a single individual in my entire life who told me, “I just finished the year having met my New Year’s resolutions!”

I think the reason people like to make resolutions, or at the very least, talk about making them, is that they represent hope—hope, maybe, that this year will be better than the last. It reminds me of the scene in Forrest Gump where Forrest and Lt. Dan meet up with two girls in a bar and they watch the ball drop, and one of the girls says, rather dreamily, “Don’t you just love New Year’s? You get a chance to start all over again. Everybody gets a second chance.” I think that hope for something better, or something different, is very powerful. And I think that hope is a wonderful human trait; it’s why we keep trying.

But…I pose a question that explains why I, myself, do not make New Year’s resolutions: Why must we wait for the start of a new year to resolve to make something in our life better?

I have a theory about the answer to this question. I think it’s because resolutions are very easy things to say, but the truth is most people don’t set themselves up to be successful; most people don’t know how to create a resolution in the form of a real, attainable goal. It just sounds easier to “make a resolution” than it does to “meet a goal,” doesn’t it? Ironically, it’s exactly the opposite! It’s much easier to meet a goal because a goal, if done properly, sets you up for success. Marshall Goldsmith, a respected leadership consultant, notes that effective goal-setting is critical to long-term goal attainment. You cannot have the latter without the former. Simply making a resolution is not an effective way to reach a goal. He offers some unique insights about the importance of goals and how great coaches can help people reach those goals in this article: Goldsmith Article

Emu Consulting teaches goal-setting skills in our seminars, or through one-on-one personalized coaching. If you are interested in making a real change—now or at the new year!—contact us. We’d be honored to be part of a positive impact on your life. For now, I leave you with this idea (which I fully admit borrowing from Bill Phillips, founder of EAS): If you’re still trying, you have not failed. So keep trying, and reach those goals!