Leading Organisational Change Is About Thinking (And How To Make Time For It)
How are you?
These days anytime I ask *anyone* how they are, the answer is usually BUSY. I bet that’s what you hear from folks all the time too… In fact, I’m also willing to bet that that’s how you responded to the last person that asked you how you’re going too.
And of course, this is especially true if you’re a change leader, transformation expert or communication specialist.
It makes sense - I mean, day to day you’re likely run off your feet, in back to back (Zoom) meetings, supporting stakeholders, and progressing the change and communication and training plans.
But when you’re responsible for driving and delivering organisational transformation, there’s a real problem with being super busy all the time, because it means you just don’t have much time to think.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that, when you’re in charge of designing and delivering the overarching change and communication strategy for an organisation or whole-of-gov initiative, well, having time to think becomes very important.
Reflecting on the meaty challenges you and the change team are experiencing and how best to minimize risks or work effectively within the dominant culture is an important part of the job. You need thinking time.
That’s why on today’s episode of The New Way podcast I’m talking about thinking time - why it’s important and how to make it a regular part of your workday.
Tune in to hear:
My personal insights on how thinking time has impacted my leadership skills
The practical tips I use to make thinking time a regular part of my workday
How to improve your problem-solving capacity by 60% (research out of Standford Uni proves it)
The 1 non-negotiable action you must take so that your thinking time pays off
Take a listen now! I hope this ep inspires you to schedule some thinking time in your calendar this week.
TOPICS DISCUSSED AND WHERE TO FIND THEM:
[1:35]: People wear the word ‘busy’ as a badge of honour at work.
[2:03]: Change leaders and transformation experts are genuinely busy. They’re in back to back meetings, progressing the change and communication and run off their feet.
[2:33]: When you’re responsible for driving organisational transformation, there is a real problem with being very busy at work. You have no time to reflect or think about anything.
[4:41]: Complex challenges are worth time and consideration especially when they impact thousands of people and a lot of money.
[6:02]: Change leaders that don’t proactively focus on how to prevent fires from happening in the first place will spend a lot of time putting out fires.
[7:09]: Dedicating time to think critically gives you an edge over other change leaders. Building in regular thinking time into your week will help you make recommendations, come up with creative decisions, and improve your leadership skills.
[8:38]: I know that your day is full of meetings, workshops and a full inbox - not to mention your never-ending tasks and constant distractions from colleagues.
[10:12]: #1 Schedule your thinking time - Put it in your calendar. Aim for two lots of 15-minute sessions per day.
[11:12]: I like to use time blocking as a method to manage my calendar. Check out my previous episode on this topic ‘Not Getting Shit Done? Productive Change Managers Master This Daily Method’.
[11:48]: #2 Prepare a few questions for your planned thinking time. I do this when I’m scheduling in my thinking time blocks for the week. Ask yourself strategic rather than tactical questions.
[13:36]: “How can we 10x employee engagement?” “What is the core obstacle stopping us from moving forward right now?” “What am I not seeing here?” “What is the core business problem that we’re dealing with here?” “What opportunities are there to easily take things to the next level?”.
[14:17] #3 Match your dedicated thinking time with the times you feel the most energetic.
[15:10]: #4 Get away from your desk and go for a walk. Changing your environment can switch up your thinking. Walking increases your creative output by 60%.
[16:15]: #5 Capture your ideas, and then take action. Jot down the ideas as they come. After the walk I will review what I’ve captured and act on my best idea.
LINKS
Episodes mentioned:
Website: https://www.everchange.com.au/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkatebyrne/