large waves cause barriers to be erected
This week I've been reflecting upon how only a handful of people can encourage the culture of hundreds of people to move in a completely different direction.
Many coaches believe that the only person that one can change is oneself. It's an interesting thought to consider. Although I find it true that the only person I can definitively change at will is myself, I'm also aware that many people have grown and developed because of my presence in their lives. As a coach, one of my core beliefs is that people can change and that a coach allows them to do so. If coaches had no impact, why would organisations hire us?
Perhaps this is merely a matter of semantics…
I'm excited about the current opportunity I'm presented with in my professional life. The people that I have the honour of working with need a great deal of support. Many of them lack experience working in any organisation other than this. They've heard rumours about working differently and have yet to experience it for themselves.
When those of us who are labelled change agents speak, we have an opportunity to see and hear how more modern ways of working are presented from their perspective. Many of my current audience have misconceptions, some of which I haven't heard for many years. Attempting to stand in their shoes gives me a view I haven't had for a decade. When I was first introduced to agile and lean, I was full of enthusiasm and couldn't digest the material fast enough. I was young and single; I had energy and lacked commitments and responsibilities to slow my pace. Many of the people I see around me are at least the age I am now, and I am concerned for them about the pace of change that may be heading their way.
Most of my clients are eager and hopeful. Some are unable to conceptualise even the basic concepts at this point. I have a long list of things to do in order to help them along their journey, and organising this backlog is a mammoth task in its own right. The opportunity to be one of the first to teach anyone about agile ways of working, from forming networked teams to delivering value streams, is exciting and full of possibility. When I look at the changes that need to be made, I find myself becoming overwhelmed. I keep returning to the question, how can I make the most significant impact?
Ripples are the only way to generate movement; only small stones are needed.