Step up to this moment in time
Transitions are natural. They don't feel that way, but humans have evolved to learn how to cope with change as well as to feel more comfortable with the familiar.
Remember back to leaving home, starting to live alone for the first time? Perhaps you felt excitement of stepping out on your own? Qualms about leaving the shelter of your parents' care, or perhaps the relief of feeling free? Maybe there were times when you struggled with it for a bit. People around you would have helped and supported you. You would have received ideas and thoughts from others, some useful, some not. Most of us got used to relying on ourselves pretty swiftly and developed new skills and mindsets in the process. We just learned how.
The point is that while transition is a normal human process, it can be turbulent for a while as you change gear, learn new behaviours and mindsets. Our threat systems can be triggered as we break our routine and find our old templates and habits don't work around here. It can be tough while we find a way to fit in with a new group, figure out who are allies, what are the channels to get things done, and navigate a new and complex system of written and unwritten rules and etiquette. Add to that the expectations of others to be coping swiftly, our own perfectionism, as we are used to doing things well and have set ourselves high standards. It is no wonder that some senior transitions do fail.
If you are making a step up, stretching out of your comfort zone and putting yourself in roles that require you to encompass more in your thinking; you may very well need some wise support and timely challenge to help you stay resilient and effective at the right level. Help you spot potential derailers of your career progression and adapt yourself to the new situations.
So what works when beginning something new? Do you sit down at a piano for the first time and expect the whole moonlight sonata to flow out of your fingertips all over the keyboard?! No! You start by choosing a short, simple passage, and you PRACTICE. This means you repeat, you listen to yourself and you repeat again better. You keep doing this until you feel it, it gets into your muscle memory. Then you take the next step and try another phrase.
When working with a transition in roles, such as the step-up to director or to the board, it is no different, we set you up with time and opportunity to think about what you will need to be doing well, we take it apart: we start with identity, simple principles and purpose, build up and examine the perspectives, and we rehearse and practice sections of thinking and communicating until we have a valuable and holistic vision that feels authentic and deals better with the complexity. Even so called 'wicked issues' of BREXIT and Climate Change can be navigated this way, and resilience and confidence can be enhanced through the conversations.
After all, what got us where we are now, may not get you where you are going. At some point, the wheel was invented! And your innovation may be equally challenged to shift a paradigm in an equal but different way. How will you respond to break with tradition and free yourself of old boundaries?
If you are preparing for a change of role and would like to handle it with learning and grace, consider having an Executive Coach alongside you, someone who understands the human change process intimately. Knows how to accelerate your development, and has the experience to tailor precisely to you in your context.
If you are not preparing for change, by thinking differently, expect your plans to be derailed
Resilience is not simple. It is not just about bouncing back after a setback; it is not just about persistence or grit either, though these qualities may be useful at times.
Resilience is about deep and wide awareness, learning, adapting and communicating.
As for me, I have qualified, trained and experimented with coaching all my professional life specifically to be ready, Accredited and prepared for this moment, here, to work with you.
I first published this article several months ago, and have worked with a number of people who saw it and recognised the potential value of thinking about their role and their business with me. We have changed so much by thinking together, and the ripples of that change are bringing real results for them in different ways, relevant to their goals.
Will you have survived or thrived in 7 months' time? I look forward to seeing you soon to discuss the opportunity..